Composite Containers For Bulk Solids, Related Systems And Methods

ABSTRACT

A container for holding bulk solids includes a tubular body extending at least partially around an interior of the container to form a tubular body having a top end and a bottom end, at least one sealing member positioned in the interior of the container, the at least one sealing member sealably engaging at least a portion of the tubular body, a reclosable lid attached to a top portion of the tubular body with an adhesive strip to form a closed top end of the container, and a bottom plate attached to the bottom end of the tubular body to form a closed bottom end of the container.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 17/856,333, filed on Jul. 1, 2022, and additionally claims thebenefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/422,610, filed onNov. 4, 2022.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

The disclosure of each of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/856,333,filed on Jul. 1, 2022, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.63/422,610, filed on Nov. 4, 2022, are hereby incorporated for allpurposes as if set forth in their entireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosure pertains to a method for manufacturing compositecontainers such as cans and packaging of bulk solids such as dry ormoist goods in the composite cans. The composite cans as disclosedherein comprise a carton body made from a carton based laminate which inaddition to a carton core layer may include one or more outer polymericlayers. Furthermore, the composite cans include additional cancomponents such as a top sealing member, a bottom sealing member, a toprim, a reclosable lid and, optionally, a bottom plate.

BACKGROUND

Composite carton based cans for packaging of moisture and air sensitiveparticulate or granulated goods such as baby food, coffee, tea, cereals,tobacco, etc. are well known in the art. In the area of packaging ofconsumer goods, and in particular consumer goods which is packaged inrelatively rigid composite cans which serve as protective transport andstorage containers at the retail end and as storage and dispensingcontainers at the consumer end, the different functions of the compositecans may result in conflicting demands on their design. For economic andenvironmental reasons, the amount of material required for producing thecomposite cans should be as small as possible while still providing thecomposite can with sufficient rigidity and shape stability. At theretail end there is a desire that the composite cans allow efficient andspace-saving transport and storage and that they are stackable.

Carton based cans generally suffer from low shape stability in thecarton body, which has proven to be a particular problem duringmanufacturing and filling of the cans before they are finally sealed.While providing sufficient shape stability and protection of packagedgoods in a filled and fully assembled composite can, the relatively thincarton body material may suffer damage when exposed to the forcesexerted on the carton body during production and filling of thecomposite cans. Built-in tensions in the stiff carton material cause thetubular bodies which are formed from rectangular carton blanks todeviate from an intended body shape, making the tubular bodies difficultto process at high speeds in a manufacturing machine. Tubular bodieswhich deviate from an intended shape are more prone to being damaged bygrippers, transporters and other equipment in the manufacturing line.Such damage may lead to an undesirable high waste ratio, as the damagedtubular bodies would have to be discarded. By way of example, tubularbodies which are transported on a conveyor belt may accumulate on theconveyor into a tightly packed line of tubular bodies being pressedagainst each other, causing the tubular bodies to assume a deformedconfiguration with a shortened extension in the transport direction andan increased extension perpendicular to the transport direction. Tubularbodies which are deformed in this manner may get stuck in the machine ormay be difficult to grip and reposition with a gripper. Furthermore, itmay be difficult to attach elements such as a top sealing member, abottom sealing member, a top rim, a bottom plate etc. without damagingthe exposed end edge of the tubular body. In order to minimize the riskof deforming or damaging the tubular bodies during manufacture, themanufacturing speed may need to be lowered which leads to a lessefficient production of the composite cans than would have beenpreferred.

Accordingly, there is a need for a low cost, high-speed productionprocess for a composite can made from commonly available materials whichprocess can be run with minimal waste in the production line.

An object of the present disclosure is to overcome or ameliorate atleast one of the disadvantages of the prior art, or to provide a usefulalternative.

SUMMARY

According to one aspect, the disclosure is generally directed to aacontainer for holding bulk solids that includes a tubular body extendingat least partially around an interior of the container to form a tubularbody having a top end and a bottom end, at least one sealing memberpositioned in the interior of the container, the at least one sealingmember sealably engaging at least a portion of the tubular body, areclosable lid attached to a top portion of the tubular body with anadhesive strip to form a closed top end of the container, and a bottomplate attached to the bottom end of the tubular body to form a closedbottom end of the container.

According to another aspect, the disclosure is generally directed to amethod of forming a container for holding bulk solids, the methodcomprising obtaining a body blank, positioning the body blank extendingat least partially around an interior of the container to form a tubularbody having a top end and a bottom end, positioning at least one sealingmember in the interior of the container, the at least one sealing membersealably engaging at least a portion of the tubular body, attaching areclosable lid to a top portion of the tubular body with an adhesivestrip to form a closed top end of the container, and attaching a bottomplate to the bottom end of the tubular body to form a closed bottom endof the container.

According to another aspect, the disclosure is generally directed to anassembly line for forming a container for holding bulk solids, theassembly line comprising a supply of body blanks, sealing members,reclosable lids, bottom plates, and adhesive strips, a body formingstation for bending a body blank from the supply of body blanks at leastpartially around an interior of the container, a sealing station forattaching a sealing member from the supply of sealing members to thetubular body in the interior of the container, a filling station forfiling the interior of the container with bulk solids through a bottomend of the tubular body, a bottom plate application station forattaching a bottom plate from the supply of bottom plates to the bottomend of the tubular body to form a closed bottom end of the container, alid attachment station for attaching a reclosable lid from the supply ofreclosable lids to a top portion of the tubular body with an adhesivestrip from the supply of adhesive strips to form a closed top end of thecontainer, and a body plate application station for attaching a bottomplate from the supply of bottom plates to the bottom end of the tubularbody to form a closed bottom end of the container.

According to other aspects of the present disclosure, there is provideda method for manufacturing composite cans and packaging of dry or moistgoods in the composite cans, the method comprising:

-   -   picking a body blank from a pile of body blanks and transferring        the body blank to a body forming station;    -   forming a tubular body by bending the body blank and bringing        two opposing edges of the body blank together in an end-to-end        join, the join extending in a height direction of the tubular        body;    -   sealing the join by welding a sealing strip over the join on an        inner surface of the tubular body, thereby forming an        intermediate can;    -   transferring the intermediate can to a top sealing station;    -   sealing a top opening at a top end of the tubular body by        welding a peripheral flange of a top sealing member to the inner        surface of the tubular body at a distance from a top end edge of        the tubular body;    -   transferring the intermediate can to a top rim application        station;    -   transferring the intermediate can to a filling unit;    -   filling the intermediate can with said dry or moist goods        through the bottom opening of the tubular body;    -   transferring said filled intermediate can to a sealing unit,        said filled intermediate can being transported to said sealing        unit in a closed conveying system while maintaining a protective        gas atmosphere;    -   sealing said bottom opening of said tubular body by welding a        peripheral flange of a bottom sealing member to said inner        surface of said tubular body at a distance from a bottom end        edge of said tubular body, sealing of said bottom opening being        carried out while maintaining said protective gas atmosphere;    -   applying a bottom plate (217) to said bottom end of said bottom        sealed intermediate can (403; 503), the bottom plate (217)        covering the entire bottom opening (213), the bottom plate (217)        is a molded plate comprising pulp fibers;    -   placing said bottom sealed intermediate can (403; 503) on a        conveyor (2 d) with said bottom plate (217) resting on said        conveyor (2 d) during said transfer of said intermediate can        (403; 503) to said lid attachment unit (7);    -   turning the filled and bottom sealed intermediate can to bring        the top end of the tubular body in an upward-facing position in        the vertical direction and transferring the intermediate can to        a lid attachment unit;    -   attaching a reclosable lid at the top end of the tubular body        with an inner surface of the reclosable lid in direct contact        with an upper surface of the top rim.

The bottom plate covers the entire bottom opening and thus minimizes,inhibits, and/or prevents insects from nesting in the space between thebottom sealing member and the bottom end of the tubular body while italso stabilizes the can.

The intermediate can may be subjected to a protective gas atmosphereeither during said filling of said intermediate can or by introducingsaid filled intermediate can into a vacuum chamber to draw off air.

Thereby air contact between the filled goods in the open intermediatecontainer may be prohibited until the goods has been safely enclosed inthe composite can. A further technical effect is that the atmosphere inthe sealing station and the sealing step can be extremely wellcontrolled as there is no need of removing air from the filled opencontainers before sealing the containers. This has been found to be aconsiderable advantage as pressure differences in the sealing step maynegatively affect the sealing process by causing turbulence in thepackaged material. Such turbulence may result in powdery material beingcaptured in the seals and potentially compromising the tightness of theseals.

According to another aspect, the disclosure is generally directed to thesteps of:

-   -   transferring the intermediate can to a top rim application        station;    -   applying the top rim to the intermediate can by inserting at        least a lower part of the top rim into the top opening, above        the top sealing member;    -   welding or gluing the inserted part of the top rim to the inner        surface of the tubular body;    -   transferring the intermediate can to a conveyor and placing the        intermediate can on the conveyor with the top rim resting on the        conveyor and a bottom opening at a bottom end of the tubular        body facing upward in the vertical direction;

are optional to composite cans having a top closure with a lid formedfrom paperboard components.

As disclosed herein, a longitudinal axis of the intermediate can may bearranged in a generally vertical direction with the top end of thetubular body directed upwards in the vertical direction during transferof the intermediate can from the top sealing station to the top rimapplication station.

In methods disclosed herein, the top end edge of the tubular body isdirected upward in the vertical direction and the bottom end edge of thetubular body is directed downward in the vertical direction duringapplication and attachment of the top sealing member and a top rim atthe top opening of the tubular body. Thereafter, the intermediate cancomprising the tubular body, the top sealing member and the top rim, isturned upside-down so that the top end edge is directed downward in thevertical direction and the bottom end edge is directed upward in thevertical direction. The intermediate can with the top rim attached maybe turned in a rim applicator or in a conventional turning apparatusdownstream of the rim applicator.

By attaching a top rim to the tubular body and turning the intermediatecan upside- down before transporting the intermediate can to the fillingunit, the intermediate can will rest with the durable top rim on theconveyor during transfer to the filling unit.

By attaching the top sealing member before filling the can, the risk offinding residues of packaged material outside the top sealing member inthe upper end of the can be reduced or eliminated as is the risk thatparticulate material contaminates the weld area and negatively affectsthe quality of the top sealing member seal.

The top rim brings the container body wall to conform to the contour ofthe top rim and to be provided with a desired predetermined and stableshape.

The weld seal between the top rim and the tubular body may be formed byany suitable method such as by high frequency induction welding. Inorder to achieve a tight seal, the weld seal is preferably a continuousseal extending around the top opening to produce a moisture proof andpreferably gas-tight seal. In the composite cans produced according tothe method as disclosed herein, high frequency induction welding is apreferred method for attaching can components such as the body sealingstrip, the top rim, the bottom plate, and the top and bottom sealingmembers.

By joining the top rim to the inner surface of the tubular body by meansof welding, it is possible to obtain a tighter and slimmer attachment ofthe top rim to the tubular body than when using an adhesive attachmentwhich was previously common in the art. As set out herein, the weldedtop rim is preferably a molded fiber rim and is arranged to extendparallel to the material in the tubular body, from the inner surface ofthe tubular body to an inner surface of a lid. The top rim is more rigidthan the carton based material in the tubular body and constitutes ashape stable continuation of or supplement to the upper end of thetubular body and provides a first abutment surface which is resistant todeformation when pressed against a second abutment surface on an innersurface of the reclosable lid. Thereby, the composite can may berepeatedly opened and closed with a high level of tightness even after afirst opening of the can by a consumer and after breaking or removal ofthe top sealing member.

Thus, the top rim constitutes a rigid and shape stable part at the topend of the tubular body which may form a tight seal against the innersurface of the lid.

The top rim is preferably welded to the inner surface of the tubularbody, such that an upper part of the top rim extends past the top endedge of the tubular body.

The top rim may be a profiled element comprising a circumferentialflange extending outwardly from an upper edge of the lower part of thetop rim, the top rim being applied to the intermediate can with thecircumferential flange covering an upper end edge of the tubular body.The circumferential flange constitutes a rigid protection of the cartonmaterial in the top end edge of the tubular body.

A top rim which is attached to the tubular body with a part of the toprim extending out of the top opening in the tubular body in the heightdirection of the tubular body, forms a rigid, wear resistant and shapestable support on which the intermediate can may rest after having beenturned 180° to place it upside-down on a conveyor for transfer to afilling unit. The intermediate cans may form tightly packed queues orslide on the conveyor belt without causing deformation of the cartonmaterial in the tubular bodies or damage to the top end edge of thetubular body.

The top rim may have any suitable cross-sectional profile as long as itcan be fitted with at least a part of the top rim inside the topopening. The lower part of the top rim may have different thickness indifferent parts of the top rim. It may be preferred that no part of thetop rim is arranged to extend downward on the outer surface of the bodytube. A top rim having a generally I-shaped or L-shaped profile may bepreferred as it can be readily inserted into the top opening and beattached to the inner surface of the tubular body by welding andapplication of pressure perpendicular to the inner surface of thetubular body.

As set out herein, the carton body is supported and protected by the toprim during subsequent process steps without risking damage to an exposedcarton edge. The top rim provides support and protection for theintermediate can during process steps such as filling and sealing of thebottom opening, de-gassing, etc., which steps may be performed while theintermediate can is resting on the top rim.

The top rim makes it possible to fill the container from the bottom end,after the top sealing member has been applied at the top opening. Ifinstead applying a top end sealing member after the composite can hasbeen filled with contents in the form of particles or granules, theturbulence created when the top sealing member is pushed into thecontainer body may cause some of the particles or granules to escape outof the tubular body and to end up on the outside of the top sealingmember, in the space between the top sealing member and the top end edgeof the tubular body. A user opening a composite can and finding theexposed top sealing member to be soiled by the packaged material, willgenerally consider the can to be less hygienic than would have beendesired. Furthermore, some of the packaged material may be trapped inthe weld seal between the top sealing member and the inner surface ofthe tubular body, making the seal less tight than desired and making itdifficult to accurately control the strength of the seal.

The method as disclosed herein may further comprise:

-   -   placing the bottom sealed intermediate can on a conveyor band        with the bottom plate resting on the conveyor band during the        transfer of the intermediate can to the lid attachment unit.

The bottom plate can be applied in the form of a closed loop extendingin a bottom loop plane and having an outer contour and an inner contourand a height in a height direction perpendicular to the bottom loopplane. The bottom plate has an upper rim part and a lower rim part inthe height direction of the bottom reinforcing rim. The bottom plate maybe applied by:

-   -   inserting the top rim part of the bottom plate and optionally        also the lower rim part of the bottom plate into the tubular        body at the bottom end edge with a lower end edge of the bottom        reinforcing rim being outside of the container body or flush        with the bottom end edge of the tubular body; and    -   attaching the bottom plate to the inner surface of the tubular        body, the attachment preferably being made by welding, such as        by high frequency induction welding.

The advantages of providing the composite can with a bottom plate aresimilar to those obtained with the top rim. In the intermediate canwhich has been filled from the bottom end and sealed with a bottomsealing member the bottom plate enhances shape stability at the bottomend of the tubular body and protects the bottom end edge of the cartonmaterial in the tubular body from wear when the filled and bottom sealedintermediate can is transported on a conveyor while standing on thebottom plate. In the completely assembled composite can, the bottomplate continues to be a support element which protects the cartonmaterial at bottom end of the composite can from moisture which may bepresent on a counter-top or other surface on which the can is placed bya user. The bottom plate may further form a rigid and shape stablesupport element cooperating with mating stacking elements at the upperpart of another composite can when stacking the composite cans on top ofeach other.

After application of the bottom sealing member to the filledintermediate can, the sealed and filled intermediate can may be turned180° in the sealing unit or in a conventional turning apparatusdownstream of the sealing unit.

The method as disclosed herein may involve that two or more intermediatecans, such as four intermediate cans, are processed simultaneouslyduring one or more process steps such as:

-   -   sealing the top opening;    -   applying the top rim;    -   welding or gluing the top rim;    -   turning the intermediate can 180°;    -   filling the intermediate can;    -   sealing the bottom opening;    -   turning the filled and bottom sealed intermediate can 180°; and    -   attaching the reclosable lid.

According to another aspect, the disclosure is generally directed to anassembly line for manufacturing of composite cans and filling of dry ormoist goods in the composite cans e.g. in accordance with the method asdisclosed herein. The assembly line comprises a plurality of machineunits connected by conveyors wherein the machine units comprise:

-   -   a body forming unit;    -   a filling unit;    -   a sealing unit; and    -   a lid attachment unit.

In the assembly line as disclosed herein, a gas box may be arrangedbetween the filling unit and the sealing unit.

The body forming unit of the assembly line may include:

-   -   a body blank picking station;    -   a body forming station;    -   a top sealing station; and    -   a top rim application station.

The sealing unit of the assembly line may include a can sealing stationand optionally a rim application station.

Any machine unit of the assembly line may be at least partly arranged inan external housing. Furthermore, any machine unit or part of a machineunit may be arranged to operate in a modified gas atmosphere alsoreferred to herein as a protective gas atmosphere in the externalhousing. As disclosed herein, the sealing unit may be arranged in anexternal housing and may be arranged to operate in a protective gasatmosphere in the external housing. In addition, any can componentapplicator as disclosed herein may be arranged at least partly in aninternal housing inside an external housing.

The method as disclosed herein may comprise a degassing step which isperformed in conjunction with the filling step. The degassing step maycomprise supplying a protective gas to the product flow in the fillingstep. The protective gas may be nitrogen, carbon dioxide or a mixture ofnitrogen and carbon dioxide. The protective gas may be blown into theflow of dry or moist product during filling of the intermediate can,before the product flow reaches the inner compartment in theintermediate can.

Alternatively, or in addition thereto, sealing of the bottom opening maybe carried out in a protective gas atmosphere. When the product flow istreated with protective gas in the filling step, the filled intermediatecans are preferably conveyed to the closing step in the sealing unitwhile maintaining the protective atmosphere, e.g. by moving theintermediate cans through a tunnel filled with protective gas.Alternatively, the filled intermediate cans may be introduced into avacuum chamber to draw off air whereafter the filled intermediate cansare subjected to a protected atmosphere and sealed.

Application of can components such as a top sealing member, a bottomsealing member, a top rim and a bottom plate may be performed using anattachment unit comprising a welding unit, such as a high frequencyinduction welding unit, which is configured to fasten the component tothe tubular body during production of the composite can. The weldingunit may comprise an inductive welding energy generator for softening ormelting a weldable layer that forms part of the tubular body and/or theapplied can component. The apparatus may further comprise transportingmeans configured to transport a flow of intermediate cans to and fromthe attachment unit. The transporting means may comprise, in sequence, afeeding arrangement, a main conveyor member and a movable grippingarrangement. The feeding arrangement may be configured to transferintermediate cans one by one in a continuous manner to the main conveyormember and the gripping arrangement may be configured to transferintermediate cans from the main conveyor member to the welding unit. Theapparatus may be arranged such that during normal operation of theapparatus, the intermediate cans line up close to each other at anupstream side of the feeding arrangement, the feeding arrangement beingconfigured to separate adjacent intermediate cans from each other in afeeding direction by increasing the feeding speed of each individualintermediate can along the feeding arrangement and thereby increasingthe distance between adjacent intermediate cans fed along the feedingarrangement. The main conveyor member may be configured to operate at atransport speed that approximately corresponds to, and is uniform inrelation to, a discharge speed of the intermediate cans when fed outfrom the feeding arrangement such that intermediate cans transferred toand along the main conveyor member remain separated. The movablegripping arrangement may be configured to grip at least two intermediatecans, such as four intermediate cans, and to transfer these intermediatecans simultaneously from the main conveyor member to the attachmentunit, the attachment unit preferably being configured to simultaneouslyfasten the can component to each of the simultaneously transferredintermediate cans.

The feeding arrangement may comprise a feed screw member provided withan increasing pitch such that the feeding speed of each individualintermediate can, as well as the distance between adjacent intermediatecans, increase in correspondence with the increasing pitch when theintermediate cans are transported by the feed screw member. Such a feedscrew member creates defined distances between the intermediate cans,allowing for a controlled positioning and proper gripping of theintermediate cans.

The feed screw member allows for a controlled feeding speed at the inletof the feed screw member. By adjusting this inlet speed in relation tothe speed at which the intermediate cans are transported towards thefeed screw member, for instance by letting the inlet speed be onlyslightly lower than the transport speed of a conveyor belt arranged totransport the intermediate cans to the feed screw member, it can beprevented that filled open intermediate cans collide at high speed witha slow-moving line of intermediate cans, the open intermediate cans willmore smoothly approach and join an upstream line of intermediate cans.

It may be preferred that the feed screw arrangement comprises two feedscrew members arranged in parallel along each side of the flow ofintermediate cans such that each intermediate can is transported betweenthe two feed screw members that are arranged to operate in cooperationwith each other. This provides for a secure feeding grip of theintermediate cans and reduces the risk that an intermediate can slipspast its space in the feeding screw.

The main conveyor member may comprise slide guides and carrier bars, theslide guides being configured to support the intermediate cans whentransferred to the main conveyor member and to allow them to slide inthe transport direction and the carrier bars being distributed atdefined distances along a moving and conveying part of the main conveyormember such as to push the containers along the slide guides. In thisway, the intermediate cans are prevented from sliding in relation to aregular moving part, such as a conveying band, which would result inrandomly varying distances between adjacent intermediate cans, causingproblems in the subsequent gripping step. The use of slide guides andcarrier bars as set out herein further improves positioning of theintermediate cans prior to gripping as the distance between adjacenttransferred intermediate cans delivered to the gripping arrangement ispredefined and non-varying.

The transporting means may further comprise an inlet conveyor memberconfigured to feed containers to the feeding arrangement. The inletconveyor member may be configured to operate at a transport speed thatapproximately corresponds to, and is uniform in relation to, an initialfeeding speed at an inlet side of the feeding arrangement. This providesfor a smooth transition for the intermediate cans between the inletconveyor member and the feeding arrangement. Preferably, the inletconveyor member also forms a support for the intermediate cans whilebeing fed along the feeding arrangement. The inlet conveyor member maybe configured to allow the intermediate cans to slide while supportedwhen their feeding speed increases during feeding along the feedingarrangement. The inlet conveyor member may comprise an endless steelband that transports and supports the intermediate cans.

The attachment unit may comprise at least two subunits, each subunitcomprising a cavity adapted to receive at least an end part of theintermediate can where the can component, such a top sealing member, abottom sealing member or a rim is to be fastened, wherein an inductivewelding energy generator, such as a coil, extends around the cavity suchas to circumferentially surround an intermediate can placed in thecavity along a distance corresponding to a peripheral edge of a cancomponent placed in its intended fastening position in the intermediatecan, each unit further comprising a can component positioning deviceconfigured to position a can component in the intended fasteningposition.

The positioning device may take the form of a press plunger whichpositions the can component inside the tubular body of the intermediatecan and thereafter expands radially to exert a radially outwardlydirected press force on the inserted can component and to cause aportion of the can component to be pressed against the inner surface ofthe tubular body. The can component is held under pressure against theinner surface of the tubular body while welding the can component to thetubular body.

The positioning device may comprise two parts which are axially movablein relation to each other:

a base plate comprising or consisting of a rigid material, and

-   -   a resiliently deformable plunger skirt.

The base plate is connected to an end portion of the first piston, suchthat the footprint surface of the base plate is perpendicular to theaxial direction. The plunger skirt is connected to an end portion of thesecond piston. The first piston and second piston are configured to beaxially displaceable in synchrony with each other as well asindependently of each other. The end portion of the second piston isconfigured to be closer to the end portion of the first piston when theplunger skirt is in an expanded state as compared to an unexpandedstate.

When inserting the can component to the attachment position in thetubular body, the first piston and the second piston are axiallydisplaced in synchrony with each other, moving together as a singleunit. When transforming the plunger skirt to the expanded state, thefirst piston and the second piston are displaced independently of eachother, such that the second piston is displaced in relation to the firstpiston in the axial direction. Thereby, the plunger skirt is presseddown on the base plate and is flattened out such that the outercircumference of the plunger skirt is caused to assume the expandedstate. The elastically deformable plunger skirt will automaticallyreturn to the unexpanded state once the pressure exerted on it from thefirst and second pistons is ceased after application of the containerelement at the desired location inside the container body.

The base plate has a footprint surface with a circumferential edge,which circumferential edge comprises a plurality of side edge portionsconnected by corner portions. The plunger skirt covers a surface of thebase plate opposite the footprint surface.

As set out herein, the plunger skirt is transformable between theunexpanded state and the expanded state. The plunger skirt has an outercircumference, which in the unexpanded state is located at thecircumferential edge of the footprint surface of the base plate, andwhich in the expanded state is located at least partly outside of thecircumferential edge of the footprint surface of the base plate.

The outer circumference of the plunger skirt in the unexpanded statepreferably has a shape corresponding to a shape of the circumferentialedge of the footprint surface.

At least one of the side edge portions of the circumferential edge ofthe base plate may comprise a curved segment, which is curved in aninward direction from the circumferential edge of the footprint surface,and at least one corresponding side portion of the outer circumferenceof the plunger skirt may comprise a curved segment, which is curved inan inward direction from the outer circumference of the plunger skirt.

The plunger skirt is arranged on top of the base plate, covering anupper surface of the base plate which is opposite the footprint surface.When the plunger skirt is in the unexpanded state, it will not be incontact with the can component or will at least not exert any force onthe can component, during insertion of the can component to theattachment position inside the tubular body. When the can component hasreached the attachment position, the plunger skirt is caused to expandin a radial direction thereby pressing an edge portion of the cancomponent circumferentially against the inner surface of the tubularbody. In this expanded state of the plunger skirt, a cross-sectionalarea delimited by the outer circumference of the plunger skirt is largerthan in the unexpanded state of the plunger skirt.

By the provision of at least one curved segment of the circumferentialedge of the footprint surface of the base plate and a corresponding atleast one curved segment of the outer circumference of the plungerskirt, the risk of the positioning unit impacting on the upper edge ofthe tubular body and thereby damaging the tubular wall of the tubularbody when inserting the can component may be considerably reduced, oreliminated.

During transformation to the expanded state, the plunger skirt will beflattened out and any inwardly curved segment or segments will at thesame time straighten out, at least to a degree where the outercircumference of the plunger skirt extends beyond the circumferentialedge of the footprint surface. Hence, by carefully selecting the shapeof the plunger skirt in the unexpanded state and/or the materialproperties, a desired change of shape during transformation may beobtained. The material used for the plunger skirt, may be any usefulelastically deformable wear and heat resistant material as known in theart, such as natural or synthetic rubber materials, e.g. polyamides,polyurethanes, polyesters, etc.

The method as disclosed herein may be at least partly carried out usingan apparatus having components as set out above and may include thesteps of:

transferring intermediate cans one by one in a continuous manner from afeeding arrangement to a main conveyor member,

transferring intermediate cans from the main conveyor member to anattachment unit by means of a movable gripping arrangement,

separating adjacent containers from each other in the direction oftransport by increasing the feeding speed of each individualintermediate can along the feeding arrangement and thereby increasingthe distance between adjacent intermediate cans fed along the feedingarrangement,

operating the main conveyor member at a transport speed thatapproximately corresponds to, and is uniform in relation to, a dischargespeed of the intermediate cans when fed out from the feeding arrangementsuch that intermediate cans transferred to and along the main conveyormember remain separated,

gripping, by means of the movable gripping arrangement, at least twointermediate cans and transferring these intermediate canssimultaneously from the main conveyor member to the attachment unit, and

fastening simultaneously a can component to each of the simultaneouslytransferred intermediate cans.

The moveable gripping arrangement may comprise a first and a secondgripping element arranged to operate on opposite sides of the flow ofintermediate cans, wherein the gripping elements are movable towards andaway from each other for gripping and releasing the intermediate cans,respectively, and wherein the gripping elements, in a synchronizedmanner, are movable along the flow of intermediate cans between the mainconveyor member and the welding unit for the simultaneous transfer oftwo or more intermediate cans, each gripping element being provided withat least two recesses, such as four recesses, for gripping on each sideof a corresponding number of simultaneously gripped intermediate cans,wherein the distance between the recesses of the gripping elementscorresponds to the distance between intermediate cans positioned on themain conveyor member during operation of the apparatus.

The movable gripping arrangement may be configured to grip fourcontainers and transfer these four intermediate cans simultaneously fromthe main conveyor member to the welding unit, wherein the welding unitis configured to simultaneously fasten a can component to each of thefour intermediate cans.

The feeding arrangement may comprise a second movable grippingarrangement and an outlet conveyor member arranged downstream of theattachment unit, wherein the second movable gripping arrangement isconfigured to grip the at least two intermediate cans and transfer theseintermediate cans simultaneously from the attachment unit to the outletconveyor member.

A sliding guide, such as a stationary sliding plate may be arranged atthe end of the outlet conveyor member such that the intermediate cansmay slide on the sliding plate from the outlet conveyor member to afurther conveyor member for transporting the intermediate cans to asubsequent machine unit in the production line. Such a sliding platedecreases the feeding speed of the intermediate cans and reduces thedistance between them. Thus, the intermediate cans are again lined upclose to each other in a continuous row in the same way as at theupstream side of the feeding arrangement.

As set out herein, the attachment unit may be arranged in an externalhousing and a protective gas atmosphere may be created inside theexternal housing. An outlet port for the intermediate cans may bearranged in the external housing, wherein the size of the opening isadapted to the size of the intermediate cans being processed. The outletport may comprise a short tunnel arranged at the end of the outletconveyor member, wherein the sliding plate constitutes a floor in thetunnel. The outlet conveyor pushes the intermediate cans onto thestationary sliding plate, thereby creating a continuous row ofintermediate cans which pass through the outlet tunnel. As the size ofthe outlet tunnel is adapted to the size of the intermediate cans, thecans fill out the cross section of the outlet tunnel, whereby the outletport becomes relatively gas-tight during operation of the device withoutany need for additional equipment. The provision of the stationarysliding plate in the outlet tunnel, ascertains that there will always bean intermediate can in the outlet tunnel acting as a “plug” andpreventing protective gas from escaping and air entering through theoutlet from the external housing. In a corresponding manner, the sizeand shape of an inlet port with an inlet tunnel into the externalhousing may be adapted to the size and shape of the intermediate cansproduced on the assembly line as disclosed herein. However, as the inletconveyor may already be arranged in a protective gas atmosphere, it isgenerally sufficient to arrange a closable hatch at the inlet to theattachment unit, in order to allow the inlet port to be closed off, asneeded.

When transporting intermediate cans which have been filled but not yetsealed, it is desired to maintain a protective gas atmosphere intactfrom its creation up until the bottom of the intermediate can has beenclosed over the filled contents. A protective gas atmosphere may becreated already during the filling stage, e.g. by blowing protective gasinto the flow of material before the material reaches the can.Alternatively, filled intermediate cans may be introduced into a vacuumchamber to draw off air, whereafter the cans are subjected to a modifiedgas atmosphere and the bottom sealing member is applied.

In all instances, the filled cans are transported to the sealing unit ina closed conveying system while maintaining the protective gasatmosphere. In order to ascertain that no protective gas escapes at theinterfaces between the conveying system and the can sealing unit,tightly fitted lead-in and outlet tunnels may be arranged at the inletand outlet of the sealing unit, as disclosed herein.

The method as disclosed herein may include application of a scoop in thecompartment formed between the top sealing member and the reclosablelid. The scoop is preferably applied to the intermediate can afterfilling and before attaching the reclosable lid at the top end of thetubular body. The scoop may be applied directly on the top sealingmember or may be placed in a scoop holder which is arranged above thetop sealing member. A scoop holder may be formed as an integral part ofthe top rim or may be an added-on part of the top rim. A scoop holderwhich is arranged on the top rim may include a scraper bar for scrapingoff excess scooped-up contents from the scoop head. The scoop head andthe scoop holder may have matched shapes such that the scoop may beplaced with the scoop head securely fitted in the scoop holder with thescoop handle held above the top sealing member in a generally horizontalposition. The scoop head and scoop holder may be arranged such that thescoop head may snap into engagement with the scoop holder, e.g. by thescoop head being provided with one or more protruding elements such asone or more knobs or ridges, which snap under an edge of the scoopholder when the scoop head is pressed into the scoop holder. A snap-inengagement between the scoop head and the scoop holder ascertains thatthe scoop remains securely held in a predetermined position in the scoopholder, without rattling and without the scoop handle dipping down intothe contents of the composite can once the top sealing member has beenremoved by a user.

The reclosable lid may have a scoop holder in the form of a clamparranged on the inner surface of the reclosable lid. A scoop holder onthe inner surface of the reclosable lid may be provided as analternative or in addition to a scoop holder on the top rim.

The scoop may be placed in the can as it is or may be prepacked in ahygienic wrap, such as in a plastic or composite bag.

The barrier properties of the cans as disclosed herein, may be designedto meet different requirements of tightness depending on the goods whichis packaged in the can. By way of example, in a can for dried peas alower barrier level may be acceptable than in a can for e.g. infantformula which is highly sensitive to oxygen and moisture exposure. Acombination of a gas-tight gasketing seal between an upper edge of thetop rim and the inner surface of the reclosable lid, and a gas-tightweld seal between the top rim and the inner surface of the tubular bodymay offer a can with excellent barrier properties also after the topsealing member has been removed.

The cans produced by the method as disclosed herein may preferably havebarrier properties which remain largely unaltered even after breaking orremoval of the top sealing member. In other words, the contents in aclosed can may be equally well protected or nearly equally wellprotected regardless of whether the top sealing member has been openedor not. This also means that the seal created between the reclosable lidand the top rim as well as the weld seal between the top rim and theinner surface of the can preferably have barrier properties offering thesame level of protection of the packaged contents as an unbroken topsealing member.

As set out herein, a welding process, in particular a high frequencyinduction welding process, provides a highly controlled way of creatinga join with a predetermined level of tightness between the top rim andthe tubular body. The join is made by supplying energy to heat andlocally soften or melt one or more components in the molded fiber rimand/or on the inner surface of the tubular body and by pressing themolded fiber rim and the tubular body together in a directionperpendicular to the inner surface of the tubular body. The materialused to create the weld seal may be provided by a thermoplastic film orcoating of the molded fiber rim, by a thermoplastic film or coating onthe inner surface of the tubular body, or by both the thermoplastic filmor coating of the molded fiber rim and by a thermoplastic film orcoating on the inner surface of the tubular body. In some embodiments,the molded fiber rim and the tubular body can be joined/sealed withoutthe use of plastic materials. It may be preferred that the molded fiberrim is made from softwood pulp material. A molded fiber rim may beproduced by any suitable molded fiber process known in the art, such astransfer molding or thermoformed molding (cure-in-the-mold). Bycontrolling the supplied amount of energy, the applied pressure, and theweld time, it is possible to adapt the welding process to the weldedmaterials and to obtain a weld seam with a required level of tightness.Accordingly, the welding process is accurate and predictable and is anefficient way of producing a reliable seal with a predetermined level oftightness.

After filling of the can with the packaged product, the bottom end isclosed to seal the product in an inner compartment of the can. Closingof the bottom end is performed by attaching the bottom sealing member tothe inner surface of the tubular body, as set out herein. The bottomsealing member is preferably attached at a small inward distance fromthe bottom end edge of the tubular body to provide stackability and/orto facilitate application of a bottom plate at the bottom end of thetubular body. Insertion of the bottom sealing member may give rise to aslightly higher than ambient pressure inside the sealed intermediatecan. This overpressure has been found to cause a slight outward bulge inthe top sealing member. In a two layer top sealing member having apartially cut-out tear strip in an upper outer layer of the sealingmember, the slight outward bulge in the top sealing member has beenfound to promote raising of a grip end of the tear strip from theunderlying layer. In this manner, the grip end is easier to grasp,whereby pulling away of the top sealing member is facilitated.

The bottom sealing member may be made from any suitable material such ascarton, plastic, metal and laminates of such materials, with cartonbased bottom sealing members being generally preferred. A carton basedbottom sealing member may be made from a laminate material comprising acarton layer and a thermoplastic polymeric layer being arranged at aninner surface of the carton layer facing towards an interior of thecontainer body. A further thermoplastic polymeric layer may be arrangedat an outer surface of the carton layer. In some embodiments, the cartonbased bottom sealing member can be free from plastic materials. Thebottom sealing member may be attached by welding, such as by highfrequency induction welding, to the inner surface of the tubular body.The bottom sealing member is shaped before or during insertion into thebottom opening by bending a peripheral edge portion out of the plane ofthe bottom sealing member to create a flange which is aligned with theinner surface of the tubular body and which can be welded to the innersurface of the tubular body. The weld seal between the bottom sealingmember and the container body wall is much less sensitive tocontamination by the packaged material than is the weld seal between thetop sealing member and the inner surface of the tubular body. A cartonbased bottom sealing member is generally thicker and more compressiblethan the top sealing member and it is easier to form a tight sealbetween the bottom sealing member and the tubular body. The amount ofpackaged material which may escape out of the intermediate can when thebottom sealing member is inserted into the bottom opening is very small.As the bottom sealing member is only inserted a very small distance intothe tubular body, the insertion step generates only a minimum ofturbulence at the surface of the packaged material. The amount ofmaterial which is lost in the closure step is thereby minimal. Anymaterial which ends up on the outside of the bottom sealing member afterthe intermediate can has been closed and sealed can be easily removedand will not cause the fully assembled composite can to look soiled.

Alternatively, the bottom end of the composite can may be closed by anysuitable method as known in the art such as by folding and sealing endportions of the container wall.

After sealing the bottom, and optionally attaching a bottom plate to thebottom end of the composite can, the composite can may be conveyed in aconventional manner to equipment such as a code marking unit, a weighingunit, a leaflet inserter, a scoop inserter, etc.

The lid application step of the method as disclosed herein may furthercomprise applying a frame structure by mechanically attaching the framestructure to the top rim. A mechanical connection between the top rimand the frame structure may be accomplished by the provision of matingcontours on the top rim and on the frame structure. Such mating contourspreferably include snap-fit features such as interengaging ridges andtracks or protrusions and holes/cavities, etc.

A frame structure may be configured to cooperate with a plug-in lid or ahinge-lid to keep the lid in a closed position with an inner surface ofthe lid in direct contact with an upper surface of the top rim. Theframe structure may be applied together with the lid.

The attachment between the frame structure and the top rim may be madeby forming a snap-in connection between the frame structure and the toprim.

The mechanical connection between the top rim and the frame structure ispreferably irreversible implying that once established the connectioncan only be broken by destroying or damaging the connected parts.

The frame structure may form part of a lid component, the lid componentfurther comprising a lid part which is connected to the frame structureby a hinge. The lid part may be a complete lid or may be only part of alid, which is assembled with one or more additional lid parts to form acontainer lid. By way of example, the lid part may be an outer lid partdefining the shape and size of the portion of the lid which is exposedto the exterior of the composite can and which is combined in thecontainer lid with an inner lid part such as an inner sealing memberwhich provides an abutment surface cooperating with a correspondingabutment surface on the top rim to form a gasketing seal between the lidand the top rim. The inner sealing member may take the form of a planardisc and may be made from carton, plastic, or any suitable laminate andmay include resiliently compressible material such as natural orsynthetic foam materials or other resiliently compressible polymermaterials which may contribute to a tight seal between the lid and thetop rim. The inner sealing member may be attached to an outer lid partby adhesive or welding. However, it may be preferred that the innersealing member is mechanically attached to the outer lid part, such asby being snapped into a groove extending along the edge of the outer lidpart, on an inner surface thereof.

It may further be advantageous to attach the inner sealing member to theouter lid part under tension as a tensioned inner lid part has beenfound to have enhanced sealing capability.

When the lid part constitutes a complete lid, it is the inner surface ofthe lid which forms the seal against the abutment surface of the toprim. The inner surface of the lid may be coated with a resilientlycompressible material at least within the area corresponding to theabutment surface of the top rim or may comprise a layer of a resilientmaterial on the inner surface of the lid.

By providing a lid, a frame structure or a lid component as parts whichare separate from the top rim, these parts may be attached to the toprim after the intermediate can has been filled and the bottom end hasbeen closed. A lid, frame structure, or lid component may have athree-dimensional profiled shape, with stacking features, decorativerelief elements, locking elements, and other aberrations andirregularities. Furthermore, a lid or lid part may have a non-planarsurface, such as a rounded surface or an irregularly shaped surface. Allsuch three-dimensional features make an intermediate composite candifficult to handle in a bottom filling process as the intermediate canmay not be safely rested on the non-planar upper surface formed by thelid or lid component. Components having a complicated three-dimensionalshape are comparatively expensive to manufacture, and can easily bedamaged in a process when transferring the intermediate can betweendifferent process stations, gripping and repositioning the can,attaching can components, filling and closing the can. By applying theframe structure or lid component after filling and closing the can, thenumber of cans which are damaged in the process and which have to bediscarded can be lowered. An upper closure comprising a lid and atwo-part rim/frame construction as disclosed herein may serve to keepwaste at a lower level than is possible with a conventional single partrim constructions. The top rim as disclosed herein has a simple shapewithout protruding features that may be damaged in a production processand may serve as a support and reinforcement element for the tubularbody during the manufacturing and filling process as set out herein. Inthe assembled composite can, the top rim contributes to stabilize andshape the carton based body during transport and storage.

The reclosable lid may be applied to the upper end of the intermediatecan after the inner packaging compartment in the tubular body has beenfilled with the packaged product and the bottom end of the tubular bodyhas been closed.

The reclosable lid may be a separate part of the composite can which canbe completely removed when opening the can. Alternatively, the lid maybe attached to a frame structure by means of a hinge, as set out herein.The hinge may be a live hinge, i.e. a bendable connection between thelid and the frame structure. A live hinge may be formed integral withthe lid and/or with the frame structure or may be a separately formedelement which is attached to the lid and to the frame structure.Alternatively, the hinge may be a two-part hinge, with a first hingepart arranged on the lid and a second hinge part arranged on the framestructure. A two-part hinge construction may alternatively be used toattach the lid directly to the top rim. As another alternative, a stripof material, e.g., an adhesive strip, can be attached the lid to theframe and/or the tubular body to provide a hinge arrangement.

If the reclosable lid comprises an outer part and an inner sealing disc,the inner sealing disc is preferably attached to the outer part of thereclosable lid part before attaching the reclosable lid or lid componentto the intermediate can. Although less preferred, the inner sealing discmay alternatively be attached to the outer part of the reclosable lidafter attaching the reclosable lid or lid component to the intermediatecan.

In a composite can produced according to the method as disclosed herein,an inner profile of the top rim defines a shape and a size of an accessopening, whereby the access opening is smaller than the top opening ofthe tubular body. The opening area of the access opening is preferablyfrom 85% to 99% of the area of the top opening of the tubular body, suchas from 90% to 98% of the area of the top opening of the tubular body orfrom 94% to 97% of the area of the top opening of the tubular body. Thetop rim preferably builds as little as possible into the can opening,such that the size of the access opening is maximized. A slim top rimand a large access opening make the contents in the can easilyaccessible and contribute to facilitate scooping or pouring of thecontents out of the can. A slim inner top rim minimizes the risk thatparticulate material is caught on surfaces of the rim during scooping orpouring of contents from the can or when a closed can is moved orshifted between dispensing occasions. A user opening the can andrevealing a soiled top rim, will perceive the can as being messy andless hygienic than desired. It is generally desired to keep the packagedproduct away from the access opening where it is more exposed tocontamination as it may more easily come into contact with the hands ofa person opening the can and removing contents through the accessopening. Contaminated contents in the can which are caught on the toprim may fall back into the can and may, in turn, contaminate theremaining contents in the can.

If the packaging can is provided with a frame structure which ismechanically connected with the top rim, it may be preferred that nopart of the frame structure extends into the access opening and detractsfrom the area of the access opening. The frame structure may then serveto provide features such as a lid hinge, means for retaining the lid ina closed position over the access opening, locking elements, stackingelements, etc.

The top rim or a frame structure may further be configured with meansfor retaining the lid in a closed position with an inner surface of thelid in direct contact with an upper edge of the top rim. Such means maybe constituted by snap-lock elements including mating ridges and grooveson the rim or frame structure and on the lid, female/male lockingelements, etc. as known in the art. In addition thereto, the closurearrangement on the composite can preferably comprises a lockingarrangement.

The locking arrangement may comprise a first locking element arranged ona frame structure if present, on the tubular body or the composite canor on the top rim, and a second locking element arranged on the can lid.The first and second locking elements may be mating locking elements,such as female/male locking elements including hooks and otherprotrusions which are arranged to interengage with ridges, hooks,tracks, holes, cavities, loops, etc.

The locking arrangement may comprise at least one locking flap beingpermanently joined to the top rim or to a frame structure, such as at afront edge portion and/or at a side edge portion of the access openingof the can. The locking flap has a free end portion extending towardsthe reclosable lid in a height direction of the composite can. The freeend portion of the locking flap comprises a first locking element whichis arranged to mate with a second locking element on the outer surfaceof the reclosable lid. Preferably, the locking flap has an extension inthe height direction of the composite can which allows the free endportion to reach a distance in over a top portion of the outer lidsurface such that the first and second locking elements may be arrangedto mate on the top portion of the outer lid surface at the edge of thereclosable lid. When the locking flap is in the closed position with thefirst and second locking elements engaging with each other, the lid andthe top rim or frame structure are firmly clamped together and keptunder tension. The locking flap is preferably hingedly connected to thetop rim or the frame structure, preferably by means of a live hingeformed integrally with the top rim or frame structure and the lockingflap.

An inset gripping area may be arranged in the outer lid surface of thetop portion of the lid part. The inset gripping area is arranged at thefree end portion of the locking flap and serves to provide access to thefree end portion of the locking flap in a direction perpendicular to theheight direction of the lid component. Thereby, the locking flap can beeasily manipulated even if no part of the locking flap in the closedposition extends in the height direction of the lid component beyond theouter lid surface of the top portion of the of the lid part.

Alternatively, although generally less preferred, a locking arrangementmay be provided by a locking flap or clasp closure extending from anedge on the lid, such as from a forward edge on the lid and comprisingat least one locking element which can be fastened into or onto acorresponding locking element on the top rim or on a frame structure.

The locking elements are preferably designed to allow repeated openingand closing of the locking arrangement. Manipulation of the lockingarrangement may be facilitated by means of gripping devices such asfinger grips, friction enhancing elements, pull tabs, etc.

A stacking member or stacking members at the can opening may be arrangedperipherally on the lid and/or on a frame structure connected to the toprim surrounding the access opening in the packaging can. The lid may beprovided with mating stacking members arranged on the upper outersurface and on the inner lower surface of each lid, making the lidsseparately stackable before being applied to an intermediate can, e.g.in a process for producing the packaging cans as disclosed herein. In asimilar fashion, lid components comprising a lid part hingedly connectedto a frame structure may be provided with mating stacking members makingthe lid components separately stackable.

A stacking member at the can opening may take the form of a peripheralledge on the outer lid surface or on the top rim or on a frame structureconnected to the top rim. When one can is stacked on top of another can,a bottom edge or bottom plate of the first can is supported on theperipheral ledge.

A lid component for a composite can as disclosed herein has a lateraldirection and a height direction perpendicular to the lateral directionand comprises a lid part and a frame structure, the lid part comprisinga top portion and a side wall portion. The top portion has an outer lidsurface and an inner lid surface opposite to the outer lid surface and aperipheral edge surrounding the outer lid surface. The frame structurecomprises an upper portion and a lower portion in the height directionand has a lower edge surface. Stacking members may be arranged on theouter lid surface, the stacking members on the outer lid surfacecomprising a lid component stacking step and a can stacking step. Thecan stacking step comprises a first support surface arranged at a firstlevel below an uppermost level of the outer lid surface in the heightdirection of the lid component and the lid component stacking stepcomprises a first support surface arranged at a second level below theuppermost level of the outer lid surface and below the first level inthe height direction of the lid component. The lid component stackingstep is arranged at the peripheral edge of the outer lid surface,outboard of the can stacking step in the lateral direction of the lidcomponent, and the frame structure is adapted to fit on and be supportedby the lid component stacking step. The can stacking step is adapted forreceiving and supporting a bottom edge of a composite can.

The lid part and the frame structure of a lid component as disclosedherein may be fully separable parts, partially separable parts orcompletely inseparable parts. In a lid component having fully separableparts, the parts are separably and reclosably connected to each other ina closed configuration of the lid component. In a lid component havingpartially separable parts, the parts are connected to each other by ahinge and can be moved between a closed configuration of the lidcomponent and an open configuration of the lid component by pivotingaround the hinge. A lid component having inseparable parts is a lidcomponent in which the frame structure forms an integral continuation ofthe side wall portion of the lid part.

As set out herein, a bottom plate may be attached to the tubular body ofthe composite can at the bottom end of the tubular body. In a compositecan which is provided with stacking steps on the reclosable lid or on alid component comprising the reclosable lid, the bottom plate is adaptedfor stacking cooperation with a can stacking step on the top portion ofthe lid or lid part.

In a composite can as disclosed herein, a lower end surface of thebottom plate may be adapted for stacking cooperation with the firstsupport surface of the can stacking step and an inner wall of the bottomplate may be adapted for stacking cooperation with the second supportsurface of the can stacking step. When stacking a second can asdisclosed herein upon a first can as disclosed herein, the lower endsurface of the bottom plate of the second can rests on the first supportsurface of the can stacking step of the first can and the second supportsurface of the can stacking step restricts lateral movement of thesecond can in relation to the first can.

As set out herein the stacking members are arranged on the outer lidsurface of the lid component and comprise a lid component stacking stepand a container stacking step with the lid component stacking step beingarranged laterally outboard and below the can stacking step. Byarranging the stacking members at the very edge of the lid part, thestacking members intrude minimally on the top surface of the lid and alarge central area of the lid is left available for display purposes,e.g. for conveying information, logos, and/or for design purposes. Asthe stacking steps are arranged at levels below the central area of thetop surface of the lid part, they are inconspicuous and the technicalcharacter of their function as stacking members may not be immediatelyapparent to an end user of the composite can. The composite can may beperceived as having a more appealing and “designed” appearance and lessof a technical character which may be beneficial when the can is placedwhere it can be seen such as on a counter top in the user's home or on ashelf in a shop.

When stacked together, the lid components provided with stacking stepsas disclosed herein are nested in each other such that they may bestacked in a space saving yet efficient and stable manner with each lidcomponent adding less to the height of the stack than a height of thelid component. Thus, a combined height of the stacked lid components isless than the sum of the individual heights of the lid components. Aspace saving stacking configuration is advantageous for transport andstorage purposes as well as during production of composite cans. A spacesaving stacking renders the supply of lid components in the productionprocess more efficient as magazines for lid components may contain agreater number of lid components and require less frequent refilling.

Accordingly, the two-step configuration of the peripheral portion of thelid part of the lid component offers stable and efficient stacking ofindividual lid components as well as of composite cans comprising thelid components. The provision of separate stacking steps for the lidcomponents and for the composite cans on the outer surface of the lidpart of the lid component makes it possible to size and configure eachstacking step to be optimal for the particular stacking purpose.

The lid part of the lid component is provided with two different anddistinct stacking members arranged as two generally L-shaped stackingsteps at the peripheral edge of the outer lid surface. The lid componentstacking step is located outward of the can stacking step as seen in thelateral direction of the lid component and below the can stacking stepas seen in the height direction. When stacking a second lid component ona first lid component, the lid component stacking step of the first lidcomponent receives the lower portion of the frame structure of thesecond lid component in a mating fashion such that the lower portion ofthe frame structure fits in a nesting manner on the lid componentstacking step.

The lid component stacking step and the can stacking step may eachcomprise a second support surface.

The second support surface of the lid component stacking step may bearranged to support an inner wall of the lower portion of the framestructure, i.e. to support the second lid component in the lateraldirection of the lid components. Accordingly, first and second supportsurfaces may be arranged to take up forces in two generallyperpendicular directions corresponding to the vertical direction and thehorizontal direction when the lid components are stacked on each otheron a horizontal surface.

The lid component stacking step and/or the can stacking step maycomprise one or more interruptions, such as two interruptions, threeinterruptions or four interruptions. The interruptions may be arrangedas a pair of interruptions at opposite locations along the peripheraledge of the outer lid surface, e.g. at opposite side portions of theperipheral edge of the outer lid surface. The interruptions may bearranged only in the top portion of the lid part or may be arranged alsoin the frame structure of the lid component.

Interruptions in one or both stacking steps may serve as separationmeans for facilitating gripping and separation of individual lidcomponents from a stack of lid components when applying the lidcomponents to an intermediate can in a production process for producinga composite can as disclosed herein. The provision of separation meansis particularly useful when stacking lid components which fit snugly oneach other with very thin split lines between the stacked lidcomponents. Although such close-fitting lid components form compactstacks with a smooth and regular shape, which is beneficial for storageand transport of the stacked lid components as well as for handling ofthe stacks of lid components in a packaging machine, it has been foundthat the lid components tend to stick closely together and to bedifficult to separate at the high speed required in a productionprocess. In addition to facilitating separation of the closely stackedlid components by inserting gripping members into the interruptions, theinterruptions counteract the formation of a sub-atmospheric pressure inthe spaces between the stacked lid components as the interruptions actas air channels between the interior of the stack and the exterior ofthe stack. A lowered air pressure in the interior spaces between thestacked lid components creates a suction force which tends to hold thelid components firmly together. Conversely, a higher pressure in theinterior of the stacks than on their outside may tend to decrease thestability of the stacks by forcing the lid components apart.

The stacking steps may extend over a locking flap arranged at the edgeof the lid, whereby the locking flap in the closed position forms acontinuation of the side wall portion of the lid part. At the same time,the parts of the stacking steps which are arranged on the locking flapmay contribute to improve grippability of the locking flap andfacilitate manipulation of the locking flap between the open and closedpositions.

An inset gripping area may be arranged in the outer lid surface of thetop portion of the lid part. The inset gripping area is arranged at thefree end portion of the locking flap and serves to protect the free endportion of the locking flap from inadvertent opening and while providingaccess to the free end portion of the locking flap. Thereby, the lockingflap can be easily manipulated even if no part of the locking flap inthe closed position extends in the height direction of the lid componentbeyond the outer lid surface of the top portion of the of the lid part.

As an alternative to a continuous or discontinuous ledge or stackingsteps which are arranged at the periphery of the outer lid surface,stacking members at the can opening may be provided as two or moresupport surfaces cooperating with corresponding stacking members at thebottom of the can. The stacking members at the bottom of the can may bein the form of a downwardly extending bottom edge as set out above ormay be in the form of knobs or other protrusions providing a desiredspacing between a can bottom sealing member and the peripheral ledge orother support surface on which the stacking member or members at thebottom of the can are resting when one can is stacked on top of another.

The tubular body of the composite can as disclosed herein may have fourmain body wall portions; a front wall portion arranged opposite a rearwall portion and two opposing side wall portions extending between thefront wall portion and the rear wall portion. The body wall portions areconnected by curved corner portions providing the packaging can with asoft, slightly rounded appearance. Moreover, the shape of the body wallportions may deviate from a planar shape, with one or more of the bodywall portions having an outward or inward curvature. When the tubularbody has one or more outwardly curved body wall portion the curvature ofany such body wall portion is always lesser than the curvature of anycurved corner portion, i.e. a radius of curvature of a corner portion inthe tubular body of the composite can as disclosed herein is alwayssmaller than any radius of curvature of a body wall portion. Atransition between a corner portion and a body wall portion may be seenas a distinct change in curvature or may be seen as a continuous changein curvature.

Alternatively, the tubular body can be made without distinct body wallportions and may have any suitable foot-print shape, such as circular,oval or elliptic.

In composite cans, there is a conflict between minimizing the amount ofcarton material used in the cans and making the cans sufficiently rigidto avoid that the cans are damaged or that they collapse, e.g. duringproduction of when stacked for transport and storage. It has been foundthat by making all can walls only slightly outwardly curved, shapestability and rigidity of the composite can may be considerably improvedas compared to conventional packaging cans having planar walls.Accordingly, the radii of curvature of the top and bottom end edges ofthe tubular body which govern the curvature of the can wall portions arepreferably selected such that the can wall portions are provided with anear-planar shape, implying that the can wall portions are perceived bythe naked eye as being planar.

The carton based composite cans as disclosed herein serve as protectivetransport and storage cans at the retail end and as storage anddispensing cans at the consumer end. In addition to an openable andclosable lid the composite cans are manufactured with a top sealingmember which is attached inside the tubular body of the can, at adistance from a top end edge of the tubular body. The top sealing memberkeeps the contents fresh and protected against contamination up untildelivery of the filled and sealed can to a consumer. Once the topsealing member has been broken or removed in order to access thecontents in the can, the ability of the can to protect the contents fromdetrimental influence from the environment depends strongly on theability of the reclosable lid to form a tight closure at the accessopening of the can. A composite can for products such as baby formula,coffee, tea, cereals, etc., usually contains more of the packagedproduct than will be used at each dispensing occasion. Thus, it isdesirable that the product remaining in the can retains properties suchas flavor, scent, scoopability, vitamin content, color, etc. at leastfor a time period corresponding to the time it is expected it will takefor a consumer to use up all the contents in the packaging can.

As set out herein, by joining the top rim to the inner surface of thetubular body by means of welding, such as high frequency inductionwelding, it is possible to obtain an attachment with better sealingability than what is generally achievable with an adhesive attachment.The welded top rim is preferably a molded fiber rim and connects theinner surface of the tubular body with the inner surface of the lid andcontributes to create a continuous barrier between the tubular body andthe lid. The weld seal forms a first seal between the top rim and theinner surface of the tubular body and the contacting surfaces of the toprim and the lid form a second seal between the top rim and the lid. Thefirst seal is a permanent seal which is present at all times and thesecond seal is an openable seal which is effective only when the lid isclosed on the can access opening and the inner surface of the lid ispressed against the top rim.

The lid or a lid component may be applied using a lid attachment unitwhich is an apparatus for automatic application of lids to intermediatecans. The lid attachment unit may comprise a rotatable unit comprisinglid holding members, a lid feeding unit and a lid application unit. Theapparatus may further comprise an item application unit configured toapply an individual additional item into the intermediate can, into aholder arranged on the top rim or on the inside of the lid. Theadditional item may be a scoop or other implement, a toy, a brochure,etc. Alternatively, an item applicator may be provided as an apparatusseparate from the lid attachment unit.

After application of a lid, e.g. in the form of a lid component, theassembled composite can may be conveyed in a conventional manner tofurther equipment in a packing line, such as a box packer, a codemarker, a weighing unit, and a palletizer. The packing line is usuallyconcluded by a palletizer.

Definitions

The carton based sheet materials used for forming the tubular body andthe base sealing member are predominantly made from cellulose fibres orpaper fibres forming a carton layer in the paperboard material. Thecarton layer may be a single ply or multi ply material. The sheetmaterials are laminates which in addition to the carton layer maycomprise at least one thermoplastic polymeric layer in the form of afilm or a coating. A polymeric layer may also be arranged at a surfaceof the sheet material which will form an outer surface of the compositecontainer. In some embodiments, the carton based sheet materials can befree from plastic materials. The sheet material may be coated, printed,embossed, etc. and may comprise fillers, pigments, binders and otheradditives as known in the art.

The term “tubular body” should be understood to mean any hollow tubularshape the body blank assumes during manufacturing and filing of thecomposite cans as disclosed herein, as well as the shape the body has inthe finally assembled and filled composite can. Accordingly, a tubularshape as used herein may be a cylindrical shape, or a shape with anyother useful cross-section such as a square, rectangular or otherpolygonal cross section or modified polygonal cross sectional shapeswith rounded corners. A tubular shape also includes any transient shapethat the tubular body may assume during the manufacturing process. Byway of example, the cross section of the tubular body may initially takeon a drop-shape appearance with a distinct peak at the end-to-end joinbetween the edges of the body blank and a curved portion opposite thepeak.

The term “can component” as used herein refers to the tubular body ofthe composite can and any component which is intended to be attached tothe tubular body in order to form an integral part of the composite canas disclosed herein. Examples of can components which may be part of acomposite can as disclosed herein are: a tubular body, a body sealingstrip, a top sealing member, a bottom sealing member, a top rim, areclosable lid and a frame structure, a lid component, a bottom plate, ascoop holder, and a scoop. Only the tubular body, the body sealingstrip, the top sealing member, the bottom sealing member, the top rimand the reclosable lid are mandatory components of a composite can asdisclosed herein.

Top and bottom sealing members are sheet form components which areapplied inside the tubular body of the composite can such that theycover a cross-sectional area of the tubular body. The bottom sealingmember forms a bottom end closure of the composite can and the topsealing member forms an inner transport seal of the composite can. Thetop sealing member is usually attached at the access opening of thecomposite can, at a distance from the opening edge which is at leastsufficient to allow for attachment of the top rim above the top sealingmember and which may also allow for a scoop or other added item to beaccommodated in the space between the top sealing member and the innersurface of the reclosable lid. A fully or partly removable transportclosure may be gastight or gas-permeable. A gastight closure may bemanufactured from any material or material combination suitable forproviding a gastight sealing of a compartment delimited by the transportclosure, such as aluminum foil, silicon-coated paper, plastic film, orlaminates thereof. A gastight transport closure is advantageous when thebulk solids stored in the packaging container are sensitive to airand/or moisture, and it is desirable to avoid contact of the packagedbulk solids with ambient air. Since the transport closure is a removableclosure, it does not have an impact on recyclability of the compositepaperboard container.

The composite paperboard container may be free from plastic components,such as a plastic rim component, lid component or bottom component. Suchcomposite paperboard container, thus, allows the user to recycle thecontainer without first separating plastic components from the tubularbody.

The lid 221, the lid component 231, the top rim 223 and the bottom plate217 may have a density within the range of from 0.2 to 1.5 kg/dm3,optionally within the range of from 0.2 to 1 kg/dm3, optionally withinthe range of from 0.4 to 0.8 kg/dm3.

The lid 221, the lid component 231, the top rim 223 and the bottom plate217 according to the present disclosure may be molded and therefore mayneed to have a structural durability, preferably a structural durabilitysimilar to a plastic rim. For rim components which are to be connectedto an additional rim part, such as an inner rim component and an outerrim component, the rim components need to have a certain flexibility andto be and to be able to be structurally stable.

The rim may comprise a U-shaped or a square edge U-shaped track portion,as seen in a cross-sectional view, comprising a first and a second sidewall section, being opposing wall sections, and a bottom section facingthe end edge of the tubular body. A draft angle between the bottomsection and the first side wall section may be within the range of fromzero to ten degrees, optionally within the range of from zero to fivedegrees. Since the tubular body wall is formed by a paperboard blank andthus a thin rectangular cross section, a draft angle within the range offrom zero to ten degrees, or within the range of from zero to fivedegrees, will enable a tight fit between the tubular body, the bottomsection and the first side wall section. This promotes a durability andpackaging safety for the packaged goods.

The top and bottom sealing members may be made from paper, carton,plastic film, and laminates of such materials. Usually, the bottomsealing member is made from a laminate comprising a carton base layer.The bottom sealing member is generally coated with outer layers ofthermoplastic polymeric material. The top sealing member is commonly aflexible component made from a laminate of layers of thermoplasticpolymeric material. However, carton based top sealing members that arefree from plastic material may also be used with embodiments describedherein. The top sealing member is commonly arranged to be partly orfully removed at an initial opening of the composite can and may beprovided with opening means such as a tear strip, a grip tab, etc. asknown in the art.

The top rim and the bottom plate may be made from molded pulp fibermaterial, such as softwood pulp fiber material, which is applied to theinner surface of the tubular body of the composite can with at least aportion of the rim or plate welded to the inner surface of the tubularbody. The top rim and the bottom plate provide the tubular body withenhanced rigidity at the end edges of the tubular body. Preferably, themolded rim and plate are sufficiently resiliently deformable such thatthey may withstand sideways deformation without breaking or permanentdeformation, e.g. when being inserted into the tubular body or whenexposed to accidental impact during use. A rim or plate may also coveran end edge of the tubular body and may optionally extend onto the outersurface of the tubular body.

An “intermediate can” as referred to herein is a can formed afterbending a carton blank into a tubular shape and sealing joined edges ofthe bent carton blank to form a tubular body. The processed can remainsan “intermediate can” until the last component has been applied tocomplete the composite can. In general, the composite can is fullyassembled when the reclosable lid has been applied as a final component.

The composite cans as disclosed herein are cans for dry or moist goods,often referred to as “bulk solids”. Such products are non-liquid,generally particulate materials capable of being poured, scooped ortaken by hand out of the cans. The cans are generally disposable cans,which are intended to be discarded when they have been emptied of theircontents.

A “particulate material” or “particulate goods” should be broadlyunderstood to include any material in the form of particles, granules,grinds, plant fragments, short fibres, flakes, seeds, pieces, etc. Theparticulate goods which are suitable for packaging in the composite cansas disclosed herein are generally flowable non-liquid goods, allowing adesired amount of the goods to be poured, scooped or taken by hand outof the composite can.

A composite can as disclosed herein may be a can for alimentary orconsumable products such as infant formula, coffee, tea, rice, flour,sugar, rice, peas, beans, lentils, cereals, soup powder, custard powder,pasta, snacks, or the like. Alternatively, the packaged goods may benon-alimentary, such as tobacco, detergent, dishwasher powder,fertilizer, chemicals, or the like.

By an openable or peelable top sealing member is meant a sealing memberthat may be fully or partly removed by a user in order to provideinitial access to an interior compartment of the composite can either bybreaking a seal between the sealing member and the inner surface of thetubular body of the can, or by tearing or otherwise breaking the sealingmember itself. Tearable sealing members may be provided with one or morepredefined weakenings, such as perforations or a cut partly through themembrane and may have a tear strip arranged therein for facilitatingremoval of the sealing member. A peelable top sealing member is usuallyprovided with a grip tab for facilitating initiation of the separationfrom the inner surface of the tubular body and subsequent removal of thesealing member.

The top sealing member is preferably placed at a distance from the upperend edge of the tubular body of the composite can which allows the toprim to be attached to the inner surface of the tubular body between thetop sealing member and the top end edge of the tubular body.Alternatively, an upwardly directed edge part of a breakable sealingmembrane may extend into the weld join between the top rim and the innersurface of the tubular body. The distance between the top sealing memberand the top end edge of the tubular body may be in the order of from 10to 60 millimeters. If the top sealing member is placed at a distance offrom 30 to 60 millimeters from the top end edge of the tubular body, thespace above the top sealing member may be used to accommodate a scoop orother item provided together with the packaged product. Examples ofother items which may be provided are leaflets, coupons, and/or clips,forks, or other implements.

The weld seal between the top rim and the inner surface of the tubularbody is preferably a sift-proof seal, more preferably a moisture-proofseal and most preferably a gas-tight seal. A can having a volume ofapproximately 1 L may be considered to be gas-tight if it provides anoxygen barrier of approximately 0.006 cc oxygen/24 h or less at 23° C.and 50% relative humidity.

A higher level of tightness of the composite can and any seals betweenthe elements of the can may be desirable when the packaged product ismoisture sensitive and/or is sensitive to degradation when exposed toambient air. It may also be desirable that the composite can isaroma-proof in order to preserve flavours and aromas in the packagedgoods and to prevent the packaged product from taking up flavours andaromas from outside the composite can. Hence, the composite can may actas a barrier in both an inward and an outward direction.

By subjecting the filled goods in an open intermediate can to aprotective gas atmosphere in conjunction with the filling step, theamount of air which is trapped inside the can when the bottom closure isapplied can be minimized. Furthermore, as the protective gas atmosphereis created before the filled intermediate can reaches the sealingstation, the atmosphere in the sealing station and the sealing step canbe extremely well controlled as there is no need of removing air fromthe filled open containers before sealing the containers. This has beenfound to be a considerable advantage as pressure differences in thesealing step may negatively affect the sealing process by causingturbulence in the packaged material. Such turbulence may result inpowdery material being captured in the seals and potentiallycompromising the tightness of the seals.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be further explained hereinafter by means ofnon-limiting examples and with reference to the appended drawingswherein:

FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of an assembly line for producing andfilling a composite can;

FIG. 2 a shows an exploded view of a composite can as disclosed hereinaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 2 b shows a scoop and a stack of scoops;

FIG. 3 shows the composite can in FIG. 2 a with all componentsassembled;

FIG. 4 shows a can component applicator;

FIG. 5 shows an attachment unit which may be part of a can componentapplicator as shown in FIG. 4 in a first production stage;

FIG. 6 shows the attachment unit in FIG. 5 in a second production stage;

FIG. 7 shows a transport plate with transfer cavities; and

FIG. 8 shows a positioning device.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a composite can in a closedconfiguration according to another exemplary embodiment of thedisclosure.

FIG. 10 is another perspective view of the composite can in the closedconfiguration of FIG. 9 .

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the composite can of FIG. 9 in an openconfiguration.

FIG. 12 is another perspective view of the composite can of FIG. 9 in anopen configuration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The disclosure will, in the following, be exemplified by embodiments.The embodiments are included in order to explain principles of thedisclosure and not to limit the scope thereof. Details from two or moreof the embodiments may be combined with each other.

FIG. 1 illustrates an assembly line 1 which may be used for producingand filling

composite cans (broadly, “containers”) with bulk solids according to themethod as disclosed herein. The assembly line 1 is configured forassembling composite cans by forming a tubular body and attaching cancomponents to the tubular bodies in a flow of intermediate cans. FIGS. 2a and 3 show an exemplary can 101, which may be produced on the assemblyline 1 in FIG. 1 . It is to be understood that the particular shape ofthe can 101 shown in FIG. 3 should not be considered limiting to theinvention, as the assembly line 1 is suitable for the production andfilling of cans of any useful shape or size and for the production ofcomposite cans without such components which are disclosed herein asbeing optional.

The illustrated assembly line 1 comprises a number of machine stationsor units 3-10 connected by conveyors 2 a, 2 b, 2 c, 2 d. In order fromthe beginning of the assembly line 1, the machine units are: a bodyforming station or unit 3, a filling station or unit 4, a gas box 5, asealing station or unit 6, a cleaning station or unit 8, a can turningstation or unit 9, a scoop insertion station or unit 10 and a lidattachment station or unit 7. A further conveyor 2 e is arranged at theend of the assembly line 1 and is arranged to convey the producedcomposite cans from the lid attachment unit 7 and further e.g. to apacking apparatus (not shown).

Production of composite cans on the assembly line 1 is described belowwith reference to a single composite can. It is to be understood thatwhile the assembly line 1 is run, multiple composite cans arecontinuously produced and are leaving lid attachment unit 7 at the endof the assembly line 1. As set out herein, the machine units of theassembly line 1 such as any can component attachment unit, may beconfigured to simultaneously process multiple intermediate cans such as2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 intermediate cans. Exemplary can component attachmentstations or units 405, 406 are shown in FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 .

The assembly line 1 can thus include or be provided with a supply ofbody blanks, sealing members, reclosable lids, rims, bottom plates, andadhesive strips, each as described further herein.

The body forming unit 3 includes: a body blank picking station 11, abody forming station 12, a top sealing station 13 and a top rimapplication station 14.

In the body blank picking station 11, a body blank 16 is picked from apile of body blanks 16 and transferred to the body forming station 12.In the body forming station 12 a tubular body is formed by bending thebody blank 16 and bringing two opposing edges of the body blank togetherin an end-to-end join, also known as a “butt join”. The join extends ina height direction H of the tubular body between a top end and a bottomend of the tubular body, as shown in FIG. 2 a . The join is subsequentlysealed by means of a sealing strip which is welded to the inner surfaceof the tubular body, whereby an intermediate can is formed. The sealingstrip and the inner surface of the tubular body comprise a weldablepolymer layer on the adjoining surfaces. The sealing strip is preferablywelded to the inner surface of the tubular body by means of highfrequency induction welding, as disclosed herein.

After forming the tubular body and applying the sealing strip, theintermediate can is transferred to the top sealing station 13 and thetop opening at the top end of the tubular body is sealed by attaching atop sealing member across the top opening. The top sealing member isattached by welding a peripheral flange of the top sealing member to theinner surface of the tubular body. As disclosed herein, the top sealingmember can be a flexible component made from a laminate of one or morelayers of thermoplastic polymeric material and the peripheral flange iscreated by folding an edge portion of the top sealing member out of theplane of the top sealing member and into alignment with the innersurface of the tubular body, however the top sealing member can be freefrom plastic material without departing from the disclosure. The topsealing member is taken from a magazine which is not visible in FIG. 1and is applied at a distance from the top opening edge to allow forattachment of a top rim above the top sealing member. If the compositecan comprises a scoop, a leaflet, or other supplementary item, the topsealing member may be applied at a sufficient distance from the topopening edge to allow the item to be accommodated in a space formedbetween the top sealing member and an inner surface of the reclosablelid.

After sealing of said top opening the top rim may be applied. Theintermediate can with the applied top sealing member may then betransferred to the top rim application station 14 where the top rim isapplied to the intermediate can by inserting at least a lower part ofthe top rim into the top opening, above the top sealing member.Preferably, the top rim is inserted into the tubular body such that anupper end edge of the top rim remains outside of the tubular body or isflush with the top end edge of the tubular body whereby the top rimprotects the vulnerable carton edge of the tubular body and forms arigid resting surface for the intermediate can during the subsequentprocess steps.

As illustrated in FIG. 1 , the body forming unit 3 is enclosed in anexternal housing 20. A can turning arrangement may further be arrangedinside the external housing 20 so that the intermediate can with the toprim attached may be turned upside down directly after rim application.Alternatively, the intermediate can is turned in a conventional turningapparatus placed downstream of the top rim application station 14. Anexample of a conventional turning apparatus is illustrated by the canturning unit 9, which is located downstream of the body forming unit 2.The can turning station or unit 9 operates by causing the intermediatecan to topple over on an inclined conveyor.

After application of the top rim and turning the intermediate can upsidedown, the intermediate can is transferred to a first conveyor 2 a andplaced with the top rim resting on the conveyor 2 a and a bottom openingat a bottom end of the tubular body facing upward in the verticaldirection. The intermediate can is moved by the conveyor 2 a to thefilling unit 4 where it is filled with dry or moist goods through thebottom opening of the tubular body.

Subsequently, while still resting on the top rim, the filledintermediate can is moved by a second conveyor 2 b to the gas box 5where the filled intermediate can is subjected to treatment by aprotective gas while the intermediate can is moved through the gas box5. The gas box 5 is an optional part of the process equipment forcarrying out the method as disclosed herein which may be used e.g. whenthe packaged goods is sensitive to oxygen and/or moisture. Furthermore,creating a protective gas atmosphere for the filled intermediate can maybe made by other means, as set out herein. After leaving the gas box thefilled intermediate can is transferred to the sealing unit 6 on a thirdconveyor 2 c. The third conveyor 2 c moves through a gas tunnel which istightly fitted to the wall of the sealing unit 6 at the inlet into thesealing unit 6, in order to maintain the protective atmosphere createdin the gas box 5.

In the sealing unit 6, the bottom opening of the tubular body is sealedin a can sealing station 21 by attaching a bottom sealing member acrossthe bottom opening, the attachment being made by welding a peripheralflange of the bottom sealing member to the inner surface of the tubularbody at a distance from a bottom end edge of the tubular body.Accordingly, the bottom sealing member is applied in a mannercorresponding to that of the top sealing member by folding a peripheraledge portion of the bottom sealing member into alignment with the insidewall of the tubular body before welding the facing surfaces of thebottom sealing member and the tubular body to each other. The sealingunit 6 preferably comprises a bottom plate application station 22 forapplication of a bottom plate after the bottom sealing member has beeninserted in the tubular body and welded in place.

As is seen in FIG. 1 , the sealing unit 6 is enclosed in an externalhousing 23, similar to the external housing 20 which encloses the bodyforming unit 3. By adapting the size and shape of the inlet and outletports 24, 25 of the external housing 23 to the size and shape of theintermediate cans produced on the assembly line 1, the ports 24, 25 maybe kept generally sealed by the intermediate cans continuously passingthrough the ports 24, 25 during production. Thereby, it is possible tomaintain a protective gas atmosphere inside the external housing 23during the bottom sealing operation.

After filling, bottom sealing, and application of a bottom plate, theintermediate can is again turned to bring the top rim in anupward-facing position in the vertical direction.

In analogy with the first turning operation which is carried out afterapplication of the top rim, the can turning arrangement may be part ofthe sealing unit 6 so that the intermediate can is turned directly afterbottom sealing and bottom plate application. In the assembly line 1which is shown in FIG. 1 , the intermediate can is instead turned in aconventional turning unit 9 which is arranged downstream of the sealingunit 6.

In the example shown in FIG. 1 , a cleaning unit 8 is arranged betweenthe sealing unit 6 and the turning unit 9. In the cleaning unit 8, anyproduct residue which may have escaped to the outside of theintermediate can during the previous process steps is removed by meansof pressurized air. A cleaning unit 8 is optional to the assembly lineas disclosed herein and may be particularly useful when the packagedgoods is a powder or a particulate material with small-size particles orcontaining fragments which may cause dusting.

As set out herein, a scoop or other item may be placed above the topsealing member before finally closing the composite can by attaching thelid. As shown in FIG. 1 , a scoop insertion unit 10 and/or other iteminsertion unit may be arranged in the process line, downstream of thelocation where the composite can has been turned with the top end facingupward. In the assembly line shown in FIG. 1 , the scoop insertion unit10 is placed after the turning unit 9.

The filled and sealed intermediate can is thereafter transported to thelid attachment unit 7 on the conveyor 2 d and a reclosable lid isattached at the top end of the tubular body such that an inner surfaceof the reclosable lid is in direct contact with an upper surface of thetop rim. As set out herein, the reclosable lid may be applied as part ofa lid component, the lid component further comprising a frame structure.In some embodiments, the lid attachment unit 7 can apply an adhesivestrip 233 to the reclosable lid and the tubular body as describedherein. In some embodiments, the lid component is mechanically attachedto the upper rim by a snap-fit connection.

The assembly line may further comprise quality control equipment andequipment for removing deficient intermediate composite cans and fullyassembled composite cans from the flow of composite cans. Such qualitycontrol equipment may comprise detection equipment for detecting flawsin the intermediate cans or machine malfunctioning during productione.g. visual detection devices, an X-ray machine which may be placedafter the lid attachment unit 7, etc. Furthermore, the quality controlequipment may comprise can rejection stations which are commonly placedafter one or more of the body forming unit 3, the filling unit 4, thesealing unit 6, the scoop insertion unit 10 and the lid attachment unit7 to ascertain that any deficient composite cans are removed from theproduction line.

As disclosed herein, the composite cans are filled with dry or moistgoods in the form of particles or pieces, granules, flakes, grain, etc.The goods flows into the composite can under the influence of gravity.

The composite can 201 shown in FIGS. 2 a and 3 may be produced on theassembly line 1 in FIG. 1 and comprises a tubular body 203 having atubular body wall 205. The body wall 205 extends in the height directionH of the can 201 from a bottom end edge 207 at a bottom end of thetubular body 203 to a top end edge 209 at a top end of the tubular body203. The tubular body 203 has a top opening 211 at the top end and abottom opening 213 at the bottom end.

A bottom sealing member 215 is positioned adjacent the bottom end of thetubular body 203 and covers the bottom opening 213. In this regard, thebottom sealing member 215 is positioned in the interior of the tubularbody 203 sealably engaging the tubular body 203, the bottom sealingmember 215 spaced away from each of the top end of the tubular body 203,the bottom end of the tubular body 203, and a top sealing member 227 asdescribed further herein. The tubular body 203 has been formed bybringing together the side edges of a body blank end-to-end and sealingthe join with a sealing strip 214, as set out herein.

The bottom end edge 207 is reinforced by a reinforcing bottom plate 217which is applied to the inner surface of the body wall 205 and/or to aperipheral flange 216 of the bottom sealing member 215, between thebottom sealing member 215 and the bottom end edge 207. The bottom plate217 is a molded plate comprising pulp fibers, such as softwood pulpfiber. In this regard, the bottom plate 217 can be free from plasticmaterials. The bottom plate 217 covers the entire bottom opening 213. Inthe illustrated embodiment, the bottom plate 217 has an outwardlydirected flange 219 which covers the bottom end edge 207 of the tubularbody 203 and engages the bottom end of the tubular body 203 to form abottom edge of the can 201. The bottom plate 217 reinforces the bottomend edge 207, stabilizes the shape of the tubular body 203 and protectsthe bottom end edge 207 from mechanical deformation. The bottom plate217 also serves as a protective barrier against water and other fluidswhich may be present on a surface on which the can 201 is placed. Thebottom plate 217 delimits a downwardly open space between the bottomsealing member 215 and the bottom edge of the can 201, which may be usedto accommodate stacking elements arranged at an upper end of another canwhen stacking two or more cans on top of each other.

The composite can 201 is provided with a closure arrangement comprisinga lid 221 and a top rim 223 extending along the edge of the top opening211. The lid 221 may comprise a planar inner sealing disc which sealsagainst the top rim 223 when the composite can 201 is closed, as shownin FIG. 3 . The can 201 is further provided with a fully or partlyremovable top sealing member 227 which is sealed to the body wall 205along an upwardly folded peripheral flange 218. Accordingly, the topsealing member 227 is positioned in the interior of the tubular body 203sealably engaging the tubular body 203, the top sealing member 227spaced away from each of the top end of the tubular body 203, the bottomend of the tubular body 203, and the bottom sealing member 215.

The top rim 223 may form a closed loop, as seen in FIG. 2 a.

The top rim 223 and/or the bottom plate 217 may be attached at aconnecting portion of the top rim 223 and/or the bottom plate 217 to anend portion of the tubular body along an end edge of the tubular body.The connecting portion of the top rim 223 and/or the bottom plate 217has a distal edge. The tubular body may be made from a laminate sheetmaterial comprising a carton substrate layer and a thermoplastic weldinglayer. In some embodiments, the tubular body can be free from plasticmaterials and welding layers.

The tubular body may have a thermoplastic welding layer in a basisweight of at least 15 g/m2, such as within the range of from 20 g/m2 to160 g/m2, optionally 35 g/m2 to 140 g/m2, or 40 g/m2 to 120 g/m2 on thelaminate sheet material. It has been found by the present inventors thatsuch basis weight of the thermoplastic welding layer provides anenhanced welding with a rim comprising pulp fibers. Conventionally, therim is a plastic rim and welding between the plastic rim and apaperboard container comprising a thermoplastic welding layer istherefore facilitated. However, if the thermoplastic welding layer hassuch basis weight an improved sealing, being durable and moistureresistant, between the tubular body and the rim according to the presentinvention may be achieved.

The thermoplastic welding layer may comprise or consist of apolyethylene layer.

The thermoplastic welding layer may comprise a metallic powder dispersedtherein or metallised polymers.

A laminate body sheet material which may be used in a compositepackaging container as disclosed herein may comprise one or more layersin addition to the mandatory structural carton substrate layer and theinner thermoplastic welding layer as disclosed below. As seen in orderfrom the outside to the inside, the laminate body sheet material mayhave the following structure:

a) an optional polymeric coating, such as a laquer,

b) an optional printed and/or coloured layer

c) a carton substrate layer

d) an optional polymeric bonding layer, e.g. a polyethylene (PE) layer

e) an inner thermoplastic welding layer, such as a polyethylene (PE)layer. The inner thermoplastic welding layer may consist of two or moresub-layers, such as a polyethylene (PE) layer and a low-densitypolyethylene (LDPE) layer. The sublayers may be coextruded to form theinside polymeric layer, or may be formed as separate films which arelaminated together.

The tubular body is connected to the top rim 223 and/or the bottom plate217 by welding the end portion of the tubular body to the connectingportion of the top rim 223 and/or the bottom plate 217. The distal edgeof the connecting portion is located at a distance from the end edge ofthe tubular body of at least 4 mm, as seen in the longitudinal directionof the tubular body.

The lid 221, top rim 223 and the bottom plate 217 may each be a moldedcomponent comprising pulp fibers. In this regard, one or more of the lid221, the top rim 223, and the bottom plate 217 can be free from plasticmaterials. The molded component may be constituted of from 95% to 100%of pulp fibers, such as softwood pulp fibers, optionally virgin softwoodpulp fibers, optionally of from 98% to 100% of pulp fibers. Examples ofsuch materials which have been developed for molding applications suchas molded trays and blisters, shaped or embossed boxes, etc. areproduced e.g. at Billerud Gruvön and sold as Billerud FibreForm®. Asimilar material is the Advantage Formable paper available from Mondi.

The tubular body of the composite paperboard container may be made of alaminate sheet material comprising a carton substrate layer and an innerthermoplastic welding layer. The composite paperboard packagingcontainer to which this disclosure relates is intended to storemoisture-sensitive bulk solids, but is normally not intended to bestored in a cooled space, such as a refrigerator, and does therefore notneed an outer polymeric resin layer such as polyethylene. The tubularbody of this type of composite paperboard containers is however oftenprovided with an outer coating composition, such as a varnish, toincrease the wear resistance and to provide an aesthetically pleasingpackaging container.

There is desire to provide packaging for sensitive goods such as foodproducts with improved recyclability, without sacrificing durability orpackaging safety for the packaged goods. However, since the top rim 223is a molded rim comprising pulp fibers the structure may be lessflexible and may also have a more irregular surface compared to aconventional plastic rim which may reduce the sealing tightness betweenthe rim and the tubular paperboard body. Thereby, durability orpackaging safety for packaged goods may be reduced since there could bea risk of air and/or moisture penetrating the space between the tubularbody and the rim. It was however surprisingly found by the presentinventor, that by providing a rim with a connecting portion extending atleast 4 mm in the longitudinal direction from the end edge of thetubular body and welding the rim to the tubular body provided with aninner layer of a thermoplastic welding layer, a satisfying sealingtightness allowing packaging for sensitive goods such as food productscould be achieved while yet providing a neat appearance at the bottom orupper container edge on an easily recyclable container. It has beenfound that a rim with a connecting portion extending at least 4 mm, inthe longitudinal direction from the end edge of the tubular body,optionally of from 4 mm to 50 mm in the longitudinal direction from theend edge of the tubular body, optionally from 5 mm to 40 mm in thelongitudinal direction from the end edge of the tubular body, providesan enhanced shape stability for the rim by means of the tubular bodywall providing a support for the most fragile part of the rim, namelythe connecting portion or connecting portions.

The rim may be an inner rim and the composite paperboard container mayfurthermore comprise a lid component. The lid component may be a moldedlid component comprising pulp fibers, such as softwood pulp fibers, andmay be made from the same material and in the same manner as the innerrim. The lid component may comprise a lid part and an outer rim part,the outer rim part and the lid part may be moulded in one piece and beconnected to each other via a hinge portion. The outer rim part isconnectable to the inner rim. The outer rim component may bemechanically connected to the inner rim, such as by a snap-onconnection, a slide-in connection etc.

The rim may alternatively be part of a rim and lid component, whereinthe rim part and the lid part of the rim and lid component may bemoulded in one piece, the rim part being connected to the lid part via ahinge portion and the wherein the rim part is welded to the tubularbody.

The rim may be connected either to the inner surface or to the outersurface of the tubular body via the first connecting portion. The firstconnecting portion is a circumferential connecting portion extendingaround the entire circumference of the tubular body. The firstconnecting portion is connected to the tubular body along the entire endportion, to the inner and/or to the outer surface of the tubular body.

The rim may be provided with a thermoplastic layer on a surface facingthe tubular body. A thermoplastic layer provides the rim with a lessirregular surface and, thus, enhances sealing and improves durability orpackaging safety for the packaged goods. The rim can be provided withoutsuch thermoplastic layer without departing from the disclosure.

The top rim 223 defines a perimeter of an access opening which issmaller than the upper container body opening 211 as defined by theupper end edge 209 of the tubular body 203.

As set out herein, the top rim 223 is attached to an inner surface ofthe body wall 205 at the top opening 211. The top rim 223 has anextension in the height direction, H, of the composite can 201 and has alower rim part facing towards the bottom sealing member 215 and an upperrim part facing away from the bottom sealing member 215. The top rim 223extends around the full periphery of the top opening 211. The upper partof the top rim 223 protrudes upwards in the height direction, H, abovethe top end edge 209, whereby a part of the top rim 223 is arrangedabove the top end edge 209 in the height direction, H, of the compositecan 201.

The top rim 223 can be joined to the inner surface of the body wall 205by means of a weld seal extending around the top opening 211. The weldseal preferably extends continuously around the top opening 211 and is asift-proof weld seal and is preferably also a moisture proof weld sealand most preferably a gas-tight weld seal.

As set out herein, the weld seal between the top rim 223 and the bodywall 205 may be formed by supplying energy to heat and locally soften ormelt one or more thermoplastic component in the top rim 223 and/or in acoating or film on the inner surface of the body wall 205 and bypressing the top rim 223 and the body wall 205 together in a directionperpendicular to the body wall 205. The temperature and pressure can becontrolled and adjusted to form a strong and tight seal without damagingthe welded components. The thermoplastic material used to create theweld seal may be provided by a partly thermoplastic top rim 223, by athermoplastic film or coating on the inner surface of the body wall 205,or by thermoplastic material from both the top rim 223 and the body wall205. The top rim 223 is preferably made from molded pulp fiber. By wayof example, the surface of a top rim or bottom plate which is to bewelded to the container body may be formed from a polymer compositionhaving a lower softening and melting point than other parts of the rim.Moreover, an abutment surface on the top rim 223 may be formed from aresilient thermoplastic polymer. Any suitable welding technique may beused, such as ultrasonic welding or high frequency induction welding,with high frequency induction welding being preferred, as set outherein.

The top rim 223 and the body wall 205 can be joined without the use ofthermoplastic materials without departing from the disclosure.

The lid 221 is a profiled part with a three-dimensional shape providingan upper outer surface of the lid 221. The lid may have an inner surfacecomprising a pattern of reinforcing ribs. The composite can may comprisea planar sealing disc which is applied over the inner surface of the lid221. The sealing disc may be arranged to seal against the upper part ofthe top rim 223 when the composite can 201 is in the closed position asshown in FIG. 3 . Alternatively, an inner sealing surface of the lid maybe formed integral with the lid. Further alternatives for creating asealing closure between the top rim 223 and the lid 221 is by arranginga sealing ring on the inner surface of the lid 221 or by application ofa sealing coating on selected portions of the inner surface of the lidand/or on the top rim 223.

The lid 221 is connected by a hinge 229 to a frame structure 230, thelid 221 and the frame structure 230 together forming a lid component231. The hinge 229 is a live hinge, formed integrally with the lid 221and the frame structure 230 as a flexible connection between the lid 221and the frame structure 230. As set out herein, the illustrated hinge isonly intended as a non-limiting example and it should be understood thatany other type of functional hinge may be used for a connection betweenthe frame structure and the lid. Moreover, the lid may be of theremovable kind, without any permanent connection to the frame structure.The lid component 231 may be made of molded pulp fiber material,preferably softwood pulp fiber material.

The frame structure 230 is applied to the composite can 201 at the topend edge 209 and is mechanically attached to the top rim 223 by asnap-on connection. The frame structure 230 is attached to the top rim223 after the top rim 223 has been welded to the inner surface of thebody wall 205. The frame structure 230 is applied to the top rim 223 bypressing the frame structure 230 down over the upper edge of the top rim223 until the frame structure 230 locks in place on the top rim 223 bymeans of mating snap-in features on the top rim 223 and the framestructure 230. When the frame structure 230 has been attached to the toprim 223, it can only be removed again by breaking or damaging thesnap-in connection between the top rim 223 and the frame structure 230.

An interior compartment 208 containing the packaged goods is delimitedby the top sealing member 227 at the upper end of the tubular body 203and by the bottom sealing member 215 at the bottom end of the tubularbody 203.

In order to gain a first access to the packaged goods in the interiorcompartment 208, a user needs to open the lid 221 and expose thepackaged goods by fully or partly removing the top sealing member 227.The top sealing member 227 may be arranged to be peeled away from thewall 205 of the tubular body 203 or may be arranged with means forbreaking the top sealing member 227 so that it can be at least partlyremoved through the access opening. Such means may be in the form of oneor more predefined weakenings, such as perforations or a cut partlythrough the top sealing member 227. When the top sealing member 227 isof the tear-open type, a narrow edge part of the top sealing member 227may be left at the inner surface of the body wall 205. Any suchremaining part of the top sealing member 227 should preferably not be solarge so that it extends into and restricts the access opening which isdefined by the inner perimeter of the top rim 223.

Once the top sealing member 227 has been removed, it is sufficient toopen the lid 221 in order to gain access to the packaged goods in theinterior compartment 208 through the access opening. As is seen in FIG.2 a , which reveals the inside of the top rim 223, the area of theaccess opening is defined by an inner perimeter or inner contour of thetop rim 223. As the top rim 223 is applied on the inner surface of thebody wall 205 and adds thickness to the body wall in an inwarddirection, the area of the access opening is always smaller than thearea of the top opening 211 of the tubular body 203.

When the composite can 201 is open, a desired quantity of the packagedgoods may be removed from the composite can 201 through the accessopening either by means of a scoop or by pouring. The scoop maypreferably be provided together with the composite can 201. The scoopmay initially be placed on the top sealing member 227, may be removablyattached to the inner surface of the lid 221 which inner surface may beconstituted by the above-mentioned sealing disc. When placed on the topsealing member 227, the scoop may be packaged in a protective wrap, suchas a bag of paper or plastic. A further alternative is to attach a scoopto the top rim 223 e.g. by placing the scoop head in a scoop holder 240provided on the top rim 223 as shown in FIG. 2 a . In the illustratedembodiment, the scoop holder 240 also serves as a scraper bar forlevelling off excess scooped-up material from the scoop. An example of ascoop 280 is shown in FIG. 2 b . The scoop 280 has a scoop head 281 anda scoop handle 282. Generally, scoops 280 to be inserted into anintermediate can during manufacturing of a composite can as disclosedherein are arranged in a stack, e.g. as shown in FIG. 2 b with the scoopheads 281 nesting inside each other. In order to facilitate stacking ofscoops 280 with planar handles 282 a proximal end of the handle 282 maybe provided with a stack stabilization arrangement 284. The stackstabilization arrangement 284 allows stacking of identical scoops 280inside each other and facilitates keeping the stack 283 of scoopstogether, simplifying storing and handling of the scoops 280 and loadingof the scoops into a scoop insertion unit 10, as shown in FIG. 1 .

Advantageously the scoop head 281 has a tapering shape to allow shescoops 280 to fit snugly inside each other in an efficient and spacesaving manner.

As an alternative to stacking the scoops 280 with the scoop heads 281and the scoop handles 282 arranged in the same direction, the scoops 280may be stacked in alternating opposite directions as known in the art.

It is to be understood that the scoop 280 which is shown in FIG. 2 bconstitutes only one example of a suitable scoop configuration and thatscoops having differently shaped scoop heads, differently shapedhandles, different proportions between the scoop head and the scoophandle, etc. may be used in the composite cans as disclosed herein. Thescoop may further have provisions for additional stack stabilizationand/or for improving retention of the scoop 280 in a scoop holder. Byway of example, the scoop head may comprise a thin snap-in ridge whichserves to releasably lock the scoop head in a desired position in thescoop holder. Such additional fastening element for the scoop head mayprevent the scoop head from inadvertently falling out of the scoopholder, and may also serve to prevent the scoop handle from hanging downinto the composite can.

The closure arrangement as shown on the composite can 201 in FIGS. 1 and2 a with a top rim 223 directly attached to the inner surface of thebody wall 205 and a lid component 230 comprising a lid 221 and a framestructure 230 provides a tight closure between the lid 221 and thetubular body 203. When the lid 221 is closed on the composite can 201,the upper edge of the top rim 223 may abut against the above-mentionedsealing disc and creates a seal between the top rim 223 and the lid 221.

In order to keep the lid 221 secured in the closed position betweendispensing occasions, the closure arrangement of the composite can 201may further comprise a locking arrangement 245, as seen in FIGS. 2 a and3. The locking arrangement 245 may comprise first and second matinglocking elements, e.g. a female locking element such as a groovearranged on the lid 221 and a male locking element such as a ribarranged on a locking member 246 arranged on the frame structure 230.The locking member 246 is hingedly connected to the frame structure 230,such as by means of a live hinge 249 formed integrally with the framestructure 230 and the locking member 246.

A locking arrangement 245 of this type is closed by moving the lockingmember 246 upward and inward over the lid 221 to a position where thelocking elements come into mating engagement. The locking arrangement245 is opened by pulling at the locking member 246 until the connectionbetween the locking elements is released and turning the locking member246 downward at the hinge 249. When the locking member 246 is in theclosed position with the first and second locking elements engaging witheach other, the lid 221 and the frame structure 230 are firmly clampedtogether whereby the top rim 223 seals tightly against theabove-mentioned sealing disc on the inner surface of the lid 221, oragainst a sealing ring or sealing surface arranged on the inside of thelid 221.

As best shown in FIG. 3 , the lid component 231 is provided with a lidcomponent stacking step 251 and a can stacking step 252. As shown in thefigures, the stacking steps 251, 252 may extend across the lockingmember 246.

The lid component stacking step 251 is arranged to enable stacking lidcomponents 231 on top of each other in stacks which can be loaded into alid attachment unit. The can stacking step 252 is arranged for enablingstacking of composite cans 201 on top of each other.

An inset gripping area 265 may be arranged in the lid 221 at the freeend portion of the locking member 246, opposite the hinge 249. Thereby,the locking member 246 can be easily accessed and while the lockingmember 246 when in the closed position is shielded from inadvertentrelease.

A composite can 201 as shown in FIGS. 2 a and 3 may be produced andfilled on an assembly line such as that shown in FIG. 1 .

As set out herein, the composite cans as disclosed herein are producedin the following order: forming a tubular body, applying a top sealingmember and a top rim to the tubular body, turning the tubular bodyupside down, filling the tubular body with dry or moist goods throughthe bottom opening of the tubular body, closing the bottom opening ofthe tubular body, applying a bottom plate to the tubular body, turningthe sealed can so that the top sealing member again faces upward andfinally applying a lid or a lid component to the top end of the tubularbody.

Turning momentarily to FIGS. 9-12 , a composite can 301 according toanother exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated.The composite can 301 can have one or more features that are the same orsimilar to those described above with regard to the composite can 201,and like or similar features are designated with like or similarreference numerals.

The composite can 301 can include the tubular body 203 having thetubular wall 205 and associated features, the bottom sealing member 215and associated features, the bottom plate 217 and associated features,the top sealing member 227 and associated features, and the top rim 223and associated features.

However, the composite can 301 can be provided with a lid component 331that includes the reclosable lid 221 attached to the frame 230 via ahinge 329 in the form of a strip 333 attached to respective portions ofthe tubular body 203 and the reclosable lid 221. In the illustratedembodiment, the lid 221 can be provided without the frame 230 and thelocking member 246 and associated features, though one or more of thesecomponents can be provided without departing from the disclosure. Inthis regard, the strip 333 can extend at least partially across and inat least partial face-to-face contact with each of the lid 221 and anupper portion of the tubular body 203 so as to be arranged to form thehinge 329.

The strip 333 can be a flexible substrate, for example, formed of acomposite (e.g., paper or paperboard based material) to which one ormore applications of an adhesive such as glue are applied. In thisregard, the strip 333 can be an adhesive strip. In some embodiments, thestrip can be otherwise connected to the tubular body 203 and the lid221. For example, in some embodiments, the strip 333 can include one ormore polymeric materials suitable for attachment through ultrasonicwelding, radiofrequency heating, etc.

In this regard, the strip 333 movably attaches the reclosable lid 221 tothe tubular body 203 of the composite can 301, with the reclosable lid221 releasably engageable with tubular body 203, e.g., via press fit,interference fit, frictional engagement between surfaces of the tubularbody 203 and the lid 221, one or more mechanical engagements (e.g., snapfit) and which can be further provided with a locking arrangement, etc.

In order to transition the reclosable lid 221 from a closed position atleast partially overlying the interior of the tubular body 203/compositecan 301 (as shown in FIGS. 9 and to an open position (as shown in FIGS.11 and 12 ), the lid 221 can be lifted upwardly and disengaged from thetubular body 203 such that the lid 221 is raised at least partially fromthe interior of the tubular body 203/composite can 301. Such movement ofthe lid 221 can include an action of the hinge 329 that includes atleast partial flexible reconfiguration and/or folding of the adhesivestrip 333.

Such an arrangement of the lid component 331, e.g., having thereclosable lid 221 hingably connected to the tubular body 203 of thecomposite can 301 via the hinge 329 formed from the strip 333, canprovide an opportunity for a streamlined formation of the composite can,for example, using the assembly line 1 of FIG. 1 , e.g., in which thelid attachment unit 7 is configured to apply the strip 333 at least torespective portions of the reclosable lid 221 and the tubular body 203.

As another example, the arrangement of the lid component 331 is suchthat the reclosable lid 221 and the frame 330 can be formed separatelyfrom one another, as compared to configurations that incorporate anintegrated hinge that is not separately applied as in the case of thestrip 333.

Furthermore, the composite can 301 can be processed on the assembly line1 without interruption to the disclosed processes, for example, theoperation of the scoop insertion unit to insert a scoop into thecomposite can 301.

FIGS. 4-7 show equipment which may be used for the application of cancomponents in a top sealing station 13, a top rim application station14, a sealing unit 6 and a bottom plate application station 22 of anassembly line 1 as shown in FIG. 1 .

With reference to FIGS. 2 a and 3, the bottom sealing member 215, thebottom plate 217, the top rim 223 and the top sealing member 227 areexamples of can components for which the equipment in FIGS. 4-7 may beused.

With reference to FIG. 4 , a can sealing station or unit 401 which maybe the sealing unit 6 in FIG. 1 is shown.

Intermediate cans 403 are transported through the can sealing unit 401in a running direction R. Transport means 402 comprising a feedingarrangement 411 in the form of two feed screw members arranged atrespective opposite sides of the intermediate cans 403, whereof only oneof the feed screw members is visible in FIG. 4 , a main conveyor member413, a movable gripping arrangement 415, and an outlet conveyor member419. The outlet conveyor member 419 is arranged downstream of the cansealing unit 401 and a stationary sliding plate 421 is arrangeddownstream of the outlet conveyor member 419 at the outlet of the cansealing unit 401. Further details of a useful transport arrangement aredescribed in WO 2013/009226 A1, to which document reference is made.

A can sealing station 405′ is located downstream of the feedingarrangement 411 and a bottom plate application station 405″ is locateddownstream of the can sealing station 405′. The movable grippingarrangement 415 move the intermediate cans 403 to the sealing station405′ where bottom sealing members 427 are attached by welding to theinside of the tubular body wall of the intermediate cans 403, asillustrated by FIG. 8 . The intermediate cans 403 are then moved to thebottom plate application station 405″, where bottom plates 417 areapplied, e.g. as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 As illustrated in FIGS. 4-6 aplurality of bottom sealing members and bottom plates 417 may beattached simultaneously to a plurality of corresponding intermediatecans 403, in order to increase the running speed of the can sealingstation 401. In the shown embodiment, four bottom sealing members andfour rims are attached at the same time to respective intermediate cans403. Alternatively, the bottom sealing members, rims or other cancomponents as disclosed herein may be attached in groups of any othernumber than four, e.g. two, three, six, eight or ten, at the same time,or may be sequentially attached to the cans.

The transport means 402 and the can sealing station 401 may be encasedin an external housing 20, 23 as shown in FIG. 1 . The external housing20, 23 is adapted to protect the can sealing station 401 and/or toprovide and maintain a protective gas atmosphere inside can sealingstation 401. The protective gas may e.g. be nitrogen, carbon dioxide ora mixture of nitrogen and carbon dioxide.

Degassing of the intermediate can may be performed concurrently withfilling the intermediate can in a filling unit 4 as shown in FIG. 1 .The degassing may comprise supplying a protective gas to the flow ofmaterial to be contained in the can during filling. The protective gasmay be blown into the flow of material before the material reaches thecan. If the material is treated with protective gas during filling, theintermediate cans 403 are preferably conveyed to a can componentapplicator such as the can sealing station 401 arranged downstream ofthe filling unit 4, while maintaining the modified gas atmosphere, e.g.by moving the cans through a tunnel filled with protective gas asillustrated by the covered conveyor 2 c between the gas box 5 and thesealing unit 6 in FIG. 1 . Alternatively, filled intermediate cans 403may be introduced in a vacuum chamber to draw off air, whereafter thecans are subjected to a modified gas atmosphere and the bottom sealingmember is applied.

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate an attachment station or unit 505 for attachinga can component such as a bottom plate 517 to an intermediate can 503.The attachment station or unit 505 comprises a retaining device 523, asupporting device 525, a positioning device 528 and a transfer plate529.

An example of a transfer plate 529 is illustrated in FIG. 7 . Thetransfer plate 529 extends in a first direction x, parallel to therunning direction R of a can component applicator of which theattachment station or unit 505 forms part, and a second direction yperpendicular to the first direction x. The transfer plate 529 comprisesa cavity portion 531 with at least one through-going transfer cavity 533which is adapted to receive and hold the can component, in this case abottom plate 517 during transfer of the can component into alignmentwith an end of the intermediate can 503. The transfer cavity 533 has afirst open area Al and is sized and configured such that the cancomponent can be fit into the transfer cavity 533 and be retainedtherein during transfer to the intermediate can 503.

As an alternative, in particular when the can component is a sheet formcan component such as a top sealing member or a bottom sealing member,the transfer plate 529 may be omitted such that the can component isplaced directly on top of the retaining device 523.

In order to fit and hold the can component in the transfer cavity 533,the shape of the transfer cavity 533 is made to correspond to the shapeof the can component.

In case of a can component including an edge portion which is to befolded to create a peripheral flange before or during insertion of thecan component in the can, as is the case in a bottom sealing member or atop sealing member, the first open area Al of the transfer cavity 533may be smaller than the surface area of the can component beforefolding. The area difference corresponds to the area of the portion ofthe can component which forms the peripheral flange. Such a foldedflange is typically band shaped and may have a width in the range offrom 1 to 10 mm, such as in the range of from 2 to 5 mm. See FIG. 8 .Accordingly, a folded peripheral flange on a sheet form can componentsuch as a top sealing member or a bottom sealing member may be createdby pressing the can component down through a transfer cavity 533 havinga smaller cross-sectional area than the can component, thereby forcingthe can component to fold at the edge of the transfer cavity in order tobe accommodated within the first open area Al of the transfer cavity.

A wall of the transfer cavity 533 may comprise holding elements 534adapted to hold the can component in the transfer cavity 533. See FIG. 7. Such holding elements 534 are especially useful for a loop shaped cancomponent such as a top rim which does not cover the first open area Alof the transfer cavity 533. When the can component is a sheet form cancomponent, the holding elements 534 may be omitted.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7 , there are four holdingelements 534 each adapted to hold a corresponding side of a loop shapedcan component having a substantially rectangular or square shape. In theillustrated embodiment the holding elements 534 are arranged such thatthey will hold the can component at a center of each side. It would befeasible to use one, two, three, four or more such holding elements 534.The holding elements 534 may be resiliently compressible, e.g. due tomaterial properties or by being biased by a spring. Alternatively, oradditionally, the can component such as a rim may itself be resilientlydeformable, e.g. due to material properties. The holding elements 534may be utilized to compensate for tolerances regarding the dimensions ofthe can component and/or the transfer cavity 533. Furthermore, theholding elements 534 may be used to temporarily press one or more sidesof the can component inwards, causing the can component to assume areduced cross-section whereby it is easier to insert into theintermediate can 503. Thereby, the risk of damaging the vulnerablecarton edges of the tubular body of the intermediate can 503 duringinsertion of a rim-type can component can be eliminated or at leastconsiderably reduced.

As illustrated in FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 , the transfer plate 529 may comprisea cover portion 535 which is at least as large as, or substantially aslarge as, the first open area Al of the transfer cavity 533. The coverportion 535 is arranged adjacent to the cavity portion 531 as seen inthe second direction y. The cover portion 535 has a minimum extension y1in the second direction y, which is at least 1.0 times a maximumextension y2 in the second direction y of the area A1 of the transfercavity 533, preferably at least 1.2 times, more preferably at least 1.4times. The use of a transfer plate having a cover portion 535 isadvantageous to prevent excessive escape of protective gas from inside acan component applicator while the can component is being placed in thetransfer cavity 533 and transported into alignment with the intermediatecan 503. When the can component is instead a sheet form component, itmay be picked by a suction member and placed in alignment with anopening in the intermediate can 503 in which the sheet form cancomponent is to be inserted. As set out herein, the transfer plate 529may be omitted and the sheet form can component may be placed directlyon top of the retaining device 523.

After application in the intermediate can 503, the sheet form cancomponent covers the can opening and prevents gas from escaping outthrough the intermediate can 503. If the can component applicator isoperated without a protective atmosphere or if some loss of protectivegas can be tolerated, a transfer plate without a cover portion may beused when applying the can component. Furthermore, the attachment unit505 may comprise an internal housing 547, as indicated by point-dashedlines in FIGS. 5 and 6 . The internal housing 547 is located inside anexternal housing 20, 23 as shown in FIG. 1 and is arranged to provideenhanced protection against escape of protective gas from the spaceabove the positioning cavity 537 of the retaining device 523.

In order to facilitate placing a can component into the transfer cavity533 of the transfer plate 529, indentations 536 may be provided asillustrated in FIG. 7 . The indentations 536 allow space for grippingmembers 544 a, 544 b, 544 c, 544 d which are arranged to move the cancomponent from a magazine 543 into the transfer cavity 533. See FIGS. 5and 6 . If holding elements 534 are provided in the transfer plate 529,the indentations 536 are preferably located such that they do notinterfere with the holding elements 534. Thus, the indentations 536 maybe located in the corners of the transfer cavity 533. Such grippingmembers 544 a, 544 b, 544 c, 544 d with their corresponding indentations536 are especially useful when the can component forms a loop, whichcomprises an inner volume filled by gas, e.g. air, such as a bottom rim.

If the can component is a sealing member, or a lid, the can componentmay instead be placed into the transfer cavity 533 by gripping meanssuch as one or more suction cups.

In such case, the indentations 536 may be omitted. However, suction cupsare not suitable when the can component is of the loop type, such as atop rim.

In the illustrated embodiment, which may e.g. be a bottom plateapplication station 22 of an assembly line 1 as shown in FIG. 1 , thereare four cavity portions 531 arranged in a row as seen in the firstdirection x. Each cavity portion 531 comprises a respective transfercavity 533 and is arranged together with a corresponding respectivecover portion 535.

The retaining device 523 retains the intermediate can 503 while the cancomponent, illustrated as the bottom plate 517, is being attached to theintermediate can 503. The retaining device 523 comprises at least onethrough-going positioning cavity 537 with a second open area A2corresponding to the first open area Al of the transfer cavity 533. Thepositioning cavity 537 is adapted to receive a portion of theintermediate can 503. If having a cover portion 535, the size and shapeof the cover portion 535 of the transfer plate 529 is selected, suchthat the cover portion 535 can be brought to cover, or at leastsubstantially cover, the second open area A2 of the positioning cavity537.

The supporting device 525 is arranged to support the intermediate can503 and to position the intermediate can 503 in the retaining device523.

The positioning device 528 is arranged to position the can component inthe intermediate can 503 as illustrated by FIGS. 5 and 6 . Hence, thepositioning device 528 is aligned with the positioning cavity 537 asseen in a vertical direction z. The positioning device 528 is verticallyadjustable allowing insertion of the can component into the intermediatecan 503 to a desired preselectable attachment position. As describedherein with reference to FIG. 8 , the positioning device 528 may becaused to expand in a radial direction of the positioning cavity 537 andto press a vertically extending portion of the can component in adirection towards a wall of the positioning cavity 537, whereby the cancomponent is pressed against an inside of the tubular wall of theintermediate can 503 which is placed in the positioning cavity 537.

In the illustrated embodiment the attachment unit 505 is arranged tosimultaneously process four intermediate cans 503. The transfer plate529 comprises four cavity portions 531 arranged in a row as seen in thefirst direction x of the attachment unit 505. In a corresponding way,the retaining device 523 comprises four positioning cavities 537, andthe supporting device 525 is adapted to support four intermediate cans503 and to position the intermediate cans 503 in the respectivepositioning cavities 537 of the retaining device 523. In addition, theattachment unit 505 comprises four positioning devices 528, aligned withthe positioning cavities 537, such that each positioning device 528 isassociated with a respective positioning cavity 537. It is to beunderstood that the attachment unit may be arranged for simultaneousprocessing of any suitable number of intermediate cans, as set outherein.

The transfer plate 529 is movable between a first position shown in FIG.5 and a second position shown in FIG. 6 . In the first position, thetransfer plate 529 has been moved in the y-direction such that thetransfer cavity 533 has been shifted away from the retaining device 523.In this position, the transfer plate 529 is arranged to receive the cancomponent in the transfer cavity 533. If the transfer plate 529 isprovided with a cover portion 535, as shown in FIGS. 5-7 , the coverportion 535 in the first position covers or substantially covers thesecond open area A2 of the positioning cavity 537, as illustrated inFIG. 5 during application of the can component in the transfer cavity533. Thereby, loss of protective gas through the positioning cavity 537may be minimized, or preferably eliminated.

In the second position, as shown in FIG. 6 , the transfer plate 529 hasbeen moved in the y-direction whereby the transfer cavity 533 has beenbrought into alignment with the positioning cavity 537 of the retainingdevice 523 and the positioning device 528 which is arranged above thepositioning cavity 537. When the transfer plate 529 is in the secondposition, the positioning device 528 may push a can component located inthe transfer cavity into the intermediate can. The can component, suchas the bottom plate 517 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 , is pushed from thetransfer cavity 533 in the transfer plate 529 into the intermediate can503 by downward movement of the can component in the z direction throughthe transfer cavity 533 and at least partly through the positioningcavity 537 of the retaining device 523.

The retaining device 523 may comprise a welding station or unit 539 asdisclosed herein. The welding unit is preferably a high frequencyinduction welding unit and is arranged around the positioning cavity537. The welding station or unit 539 is adapted to weld the cancomponent to the intermediate can 503, and comprises a coil extendingaround the positioning cavity 537. As the positioning device 528 may becaused to expand in a radial direction of the positioning cavity 537 asset out herein, the can component can be pressed against the weldingunit 539.

As is shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 , the bottom plate 517 or other cancomponent may be placed in the transfer cavity 533 of the transfer plate529 by means of an optional can component supplier 541 comprising atleast one gripping station or unit 542. A pile of can components, e.g.bottom plates 517, may be stored in a magazine 543. The number of pilesin the magazine 543 and the number of gripping units 542 correspond tothe number of transfer cavities 533 in the transfer plate 529. Thegripping unit 542 is able to grip a single can component, here thebottom plate 517, move it from an opening 545 in the magazine 543 andplace it in the corresponding transfer cavity 533. As an example, foursingle can components are gripped at the same time. The gripping unit542 comprises four gripping members 544 a, 544 b, 544 c, 544 d, whichgrip at the corners of the bottom plate 517. The positions of thegripping members 544 a, 544 b, 544 c, 544 d correspond to the positionsof the indentations 536 of the transfer plate 529. As set out herein,such gripping members 544 a, 544 b, 544 c, 544 d with theircorresponding indentations 536 are especially useful when the cancomponent is not a sheet form element such as a bottom sealing member,an internal sealing member, or a top sealing member, but instead forms aloop, such as a top rim.

FIG. 8 illustrates a positioning device 828 as disclosed herein. Thepositioning device 828 may be used as a positioning device 528 of anattachment unit 505 as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6 or may be used forpositioning of a can component in any attachment unit used forattachment of a can component inside a tubular can body. Hence, thepositioning device may be used for placing can components in a tubularbody with or without the concurrent use of a transfer plate.

FIG. 8 illustrates a top sealing member 827 which is in the process ofbeing placed in an intermediate can 803. As can be gleaned from FIG. 8 ,the top sealing member 827 has a larger cross-sectional area than theinner cross-sectional area of the intermediate can 803. When placed inthe intermediate can 803, an edge portion 833 of the top sealing member827 will be folded upwards, such that it conforms to an inner surface ofthe can wall 805. The illustrated top sealing member 827 is a foldablemember, such as a laminate of plastic films, a plastic film, a papersheet, a paper/plastic laminate, or the like. Such foldable members canbe devoid of plastic material without departing from the disclosure. Cancomponents such as top sealing members and bottom sealing members mayalternatively be pre-formed with a sealable edge portion extendingperpendicular to a main plane of the of the can component. In such case,no folding of the edge portion is needed when inserting the cancomponent into the tubular can body.

The positioning device 828 comprises a base plate 849 comprising orbeing constituted by a rigid material such as metal or a compositematerial, and a plunger skirt 851 comprising a resiliently deformablematerial, e.g. rubber or plastics. The plunger skirt 851 is located ontop of the base plate 849, such that it at least partly covers an uppersurface of the base plate 849 which upper surface is opposite a lowerfootprint surface 853 of the base plate 849.

The footprint surface 853 is configured to face towards the cancomponent, here a top sealing member 827, during application of the cancomponent in the intermediate can 803. The footprint surface 853 of thebase plate 849 has a circumferential edge 855 which in the illustratedexample has a substantially polygonal shape. However, it is to beunderstood that the footprint surface may have any other suitable shapeadapted to the cross-sectional shape of the composite can which is beingproduced. In the illustrated example, the substantially polygonal shapeis a substantially square shape which comprises four side edge portionswhich are connected by outwardly rounded corner portions. In theillustrated embodiment, each side edge portion is slightly inwardlycurved. Thereby, the circumferential edge 855 of the footprint surface853 of the base plate 849 with the inwardly curved side edge portionsdeviates from the cross-sectional shape or footprint of the producedcomposite can. Alternatively, the base plate of the positioning devicemay have the same footprint as that of the intermediate can 803, withstraight side edge portions between curved corner portions.

It may be advantageous to arrange a curved side edge portion at least onthe side of the base plate 849 which during insertion of the cancomponent will be facing the sealing strip 814 covering the join in thetubular body 805. The sealing strip 814 makes the tubular wall 805 ofthe intermediate can 803 locally thicker and also constitutes a bendingline where the tubular wall 805 tends to bend causing the tubular wall805 to deviate from a desired planar or near-planar shape. A slightlyinwardly curved side edge portion of the circumferential edge of thefootprint surface of the base plate, allows the base plate to move alongthe join without damaging the sealing strip or the can body materialwhen the positioning device 828 inserts the can component 827 into theintermediate can 803.

The plunger skirt 851 is transformable between an unexpanded state andan expanded state by relative movement in relation to the base plate849.

In the unexpanded state of the plunger skirt 851, the shape of the outercontour of the plunger skirt 851 corresponds to that of the base plate849. Hence, in the unexpanded state, the plunger skirt 851 has the sameor substantially the same footprint as the base plate 849.

When seen in relation to the base plate 849, the outer circumference 861of the plunger skirt 851 is located at or on the circumferential edge855 of the base plate 849. Preferably, the outer circumference 861 ofthe plunger skirt 851 coincides with the circumferential edge 855 of thefootprint surface 853 of the base plate 849 or is located slightlyinside the circumferential edge 855 of the footprint surface 853 of thebase plate 849 when the plunger skirt 851 is in the unexpanded state.

In the expanded state of the plunger skirt 851, the footprint which isdelimited by the outer circumference 861 of the plunger skirt 851 islarger than in the unexpanded state of the plunger skirt 851.

During transformation to the expanded state, pressure is applied to theplunger skirt 851 from above. Thereby, the side edge portions of theplunger skirt 851 are stretched between the corners and any curved sideedge portion is thereby straightened out. By selecting the shape andmaterial properties of the plunger skirt 851, a desired change of shapeduring transformation may be obtained.

In the expanded state of the plunger skirt 851, the outer circumference861 of the plunger skirt 851 is located at least partly outside of thecorresponding circumferential edge 855 of the base plate 849. Bytransforming the plunger skirt 851 to the expanded state, it may bebrought into contact with an edge portion 833 of the top sealing member827 and be caused to press the edge portion 833 of the top sealingmember 827 against the inside of the body wall 805.

If the can component attachment unit is provided with a transfer plate529 comprising holding elements 534 as disclosed herein exerting aninwardly directed force on the can component, the plunger skirt 851 maycontribute to press the can component back in a radial direction in casethe can component does not spring back sufficiently itself from adeformed configuration imparted on the can component by the holdingelements 534.

The positioning unit shown in FIG. 8 comprises a first piston 871 and asecond piston 873 which is coaxial with the first piston 871. Thepistons 871, 873 extend in an axial direction A, coinciding with thevertical direction z of the attachment unit 505, see FIGS. 5 and 6 . Thebase plate 849 is attached to an end portion of the first piston 871,such that the footprint surface 853 is perpendicular to the axialdirection A. The plunger skirt 851 is attached to an end portion of thesecond piston 873. The first and second pistons 871, 873 are configuredto be moved in the axial direction A both together as a single unit, andas separate elements, independently of each other.

During displacement of the positioning device 828 into the intermediatecan 803, the plunger skirt 851 remains in the unexpanded state until thecan component 827 has been moved to the attachment position. When thecan component 827 has reached the attachment position, the plunger skirt851 is transformed to the expanded state by moving the end portion ofthe second piston 873 closer to the end portion of the first piston 871thereby pressing an edge portion of the plunger skirt 851 radiallyoutward.

The outer circumference 861 of the plunger skirt 851 presses the cancomponent 827 against the inside of the body wall 805 of theintermediate can 803 which is placed in the positioning cavity. The edgeportion of the outer circumference of the plunger skirt 851 which in theexpanded state of the plunger skirt 851 is arranged to be in contactwith and exert pressure on the can component, may have a contact surfacewhich in the non-expanded state of the plunger skirt is slightly tiltedwith respect to the vertical direction of the positioning device.

In order to further improve contact between the can component and thecan body material in the corner portions, thickened corner portions maybe arranged on the upper surface of the base plate, i.e. on the surfaceopposite the footprint surface of the base plate. The thickened cornerportions form raised areas on the upper surface of the base plate andserve to force the plunger skirt to move further out, exerting anincreased pressure on the applied can component and improving contactbetween the can component and the tubular body. Thereby, a join formedbetween the can component and the corner portions of the tubular canbody may be improved. In particular, an increased pressure in the cornerportions of the tubular body may aid in creating a tight seal betweenthe body material and a sheet form can component. Excess materialpresent at the corner portions of sheet form can components, such as abottom sealing member or a top sealing member, will generally wrinkle atthe corners of the can as the can component is folded and aligned withthe tubular body wall. In such case, an increased pressure created atthe corner portions of the tubular body would compress the wrinkles andwould contribute to the formation of a good functional bond, such as athermo-weld between the body material and the sheet material in the cancomponent. When using a thermo-welding process for bonding the cancomponent to the wall of the tubular can body, at least one andpreferably both of the can component and the tubular wall comprise athermoplastic material in a sufficient amount to create a functionalbond. However, and as described herein, such bonding can be achievedwithout the use of plastic materials without departing from thedisclosure.

1. A container for holding bulk solids, the container comprising: a tubular body extending at least partially around an interior of the container to form a tubular body having a top end and a bottom end; at least one sealing member positioned in the interior of the container, the at least one sealing member sealably engaging at least a portion of the tubular body; a reclosable lid attached to a top portion of the tubular body with an adhesive strip to form a closed top end of the container; and a bottom plate attached to the bottom end of the tubular body to form a closed bottom end of the container.
 2. The container of claim 1, wherein the adhesive strip is arranged to form a hinge between the reclosable lid and the tubular body.
 3. The container of claim 2, wherein the adhesive strip is comprised of a flexible material configured to deform when the reclosable lid is moved between a closed position, in which the reclosable lid is overlying the interior of the container, and an open position, in which the reclosable lid is raised away from the interior of the container.
 4. The container of claim 3, wherein the adhesive strip is positioned in at least partial face-to-face contact with a respective portion of each of the tubular body and the reclosable lid.
 5. The container of claim 4, wherein the adhesive strip is comprised of a composite material.
 6. The container of claim 5, wherein the reclosable lid comprises pulp fibers.
 7. The container of claim 6, wherein the bottom plate comprises pulp fibers.
 8. The container of claim 7, wherein the at least one sealing member is positioned in the interior of the container spaced away from each of the top end and the bottom end of the tubular body.
 9. The container of claim 8, further comprising a rim attached to the top end of the tubular body above the sealing member such that the reclosable lid contacts the rim.
 10. The container of claim 9, wherein the rim comprises pulp fibers.
 11. A method of forming a container for holding bulk solids, the method comprising: obtaining a body blank; positioning the body blank extending at least partially around an interior of the container to form a tubular body having a top end and a bottom end; positioning at least one sealing member in the interior of the container, the at least one sealing member sealably engaging at least a portion of the tubular body; attaching a reclosable lid to a top portion of the tubular body with an adhesive strip to form a closed top end of the container; and attaching a bottom plate to the bottom end of the tubular body to form a closed bottom end of the container.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein attaching the reclosable comprises arranging the adhesive strip to form a hinge between the reclosable lid and the tubular body.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the adhesive strip is comprised of a flexible material configured to deform when the reclosable lid is moved between a closed position, in which the reclosable lid is overlying the interior of the container, and an open position, in which the reclosable lid is raised away from the interior of the container.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein attaching the reclosable lid comprises positioning the adhesive strip in at least partial face-to-face contact with a respective portion of each of the tubular body and the reclosable lid.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the adhesive strip is comprised of a composite material.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the reclosable lid comprises pulp fibers.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the bottom plate comprises pulp fibers.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein positioning the at least one sealing member comprises positioning the at least one sealing member in the interior of the container spaced away from each of the top end and the bottom end of the tubular body.
 19. The method of claim 18, further comprising attaching a rim to the top end of the tubular body above the sealing member such that the reclosable lid contacts the rim.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the rim comprises pulp fibers.
 21. An assembly line for forming a container for holding bulk solids, the assembly line comprising: a supply of body blanks, sealing members, reclosable lids, bottom plates, and adhesive strips; a body forming station for bending a body blank from the supply of body blanks at least partially around an interior of the container; a sealing station for attaching a sealing member from the supply of sealing members to the tubular body in the interior of the container; a filling station for filing the interior of the container with bulk solids through a bottom end of the tubular body; a bottom plate application station for attaching a bottom plate from the supply of bottom plates to the bottom end of the tubular body to form a closed bottom end of the container; a lid attachment station for attaching a reclosable lid from the supply of reclosable lids to a top portion of the tubular body with an adhesive strip from the supply of adhesive strips to form a closed top end of the container; and a body plate application station for attaching a bottom plate from the supply of bottom plates to the bottom end of the tubular body to form a closed bottom end of the container.
 22. The assembly line of claim 21, wherein the adhesive strips of the supply of adhesive strips are comprised of a composite material.
 23. The assembly line of claim 22, wherein the reclosable lids of the supply of reclosable lids are comprised of pulp fibers.
 24. The assembly line of claim 23, wherein the bottom plates of the plurality of bottom plates are comprised of pulp fibers.
 25. The assembly line of claim 24, further comprising a supply of rims and a rim attachment station configured to apply a rim from the supply of rims to the top end of the tubular body.
 26. The assembly line of claim 25, wherein the rims of the supply of rims comprise pulp fibers and are free from plastic material. 